So do you think that an untrained hip hop dancer could win a ball room dancing contest under their rules? No way, the two are completely different. Why did CM Punk think he could win a fight, not to mention a pro fight, double-not-to-mention that it was in the pinnacle of Mixed Martial Arts promotion? Well, he didn’t. He lasted a whole minute longer than I thought he would. He looked like the new guys in class that try in vain to throw hard punches against a far more experienced fighter. I was discussing this with someone the other day and I asserted that not only do guys in the UFC have way more than 2 years of MMA experience, they usually have a lifetime of martial arts experience.
What else could be said. Others might say that Brock Lesnar did it. I have some counters to that also. First of all, Brock Lesnar was a legitimate collegiate wrestler way before he slipped on the speedo and oiled up to wrestle other buffians in front of a mainstream crowd. Not only that, Brock is a heavyweight, not just a heavyweight, but the biggest heavyweight around.
Everyone knows that a heavyweight will most likely knock your head 36 rows back with a well timed punch, but the skill level and athleticism is not at the same level as the lighter weight classes.
With that combination, you see why Brock has a semi-successful career as a UFC fighter, and CM Punk never stood a chance.
Let’s talk about his payday. CM Punk earned a cool $500k for that rotten debut. His opponent Mickey Gall cashed in a cool $30k. Tell me that’s fair. Well, fair isn’t what it is about in the UFC or in MMA at all. Everyone that asks me about MMA for their kids is quickly told that if they want their child to end up possibly having a career in MMA then they might as well get them boxing early. Boxing offers a far more lucrative option than MMA. Kids and MMA careers aren’t really related, but some parents are psychos. Nobody knows this more than a guy like me who has experience in all of the above.
Aside from Punk, five other fighters on the card hit the six-figure mark in earnings, including heavyweight headliners Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem. Miocic cashed a $600k check for his first-round knockout victory over Overeem ($800k) to successfully defend his UFC heavyweight title for the first time in front of his hometown Cleveland crowd. These are good paydays but if you think about the fighters making six figures in relation to how many fighters are professionals, you would see a huge, lob-sided figure. MMA isn’t a realistic career for most people. It is hard on your body, and unless you make it to the elite and get to that main event among the elite, you are not going to make a great living.
Martial Arts should be studied for several reasons that I go over almost every time I blog but money, fame, success, and likeability should not be those reasons.
