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PUNKED: CM SITS ON THE SIDELINES

There was never going to be an immediate rush to get Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) into the Octagon following his UFC signing in December of 2014. Given his lack of experience in the sport of mixed martial arts, he was going to focus on adding the skills to his repertoire before competing.

A December date was thrown around and it seemed a good fit after almost a full year of consistent, full-time training to equip him for his debut. However, the time for a fight to be booked has come and gone and it's looking increasingly unlikely that he will compete this year.

Duke Roufus' Milwaukee gym is as good as any to prepare Brooks - who controversially retired from the WWE in January 2014 - as it houses former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, amongst other elite fighters. Brooks will be coming on at a much higher rate than your average rookie, but it's obviously not been enough to satisfy the UFC brass.

Lorenzo Fertitta stated that Punk would get a competitive fight to open his slate, and not just a 'gimme' because of his high profile. The UFC doesn't want to devalue its product too much by signing questionable fighters (as if a debuting Brooks wasn't enough). The current roster have been lining up to take pops at him, presumably as they see an easy fight and bigger than usual payday, but Punk and his team-mates are adamant he is not to be underestimated. 

Cathal Pendred was one particular name that did the rounds after the pair had a public bust-up on Twitter. Pendred comes from an elite camp, too. He trains with Interim UFC Featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who is 8/15 on Betfair at the time of writing to unify the titles by defeating longstanding kingpin Jose Aldo in December. Roufusport comrade Belal Muhammad said that his teammate was "a beast" capable of finishing Pendred in the first round. At 8-0, Muhammad knows what he's talking about, and has labelled Punk "legit".

How much of that is friendly partisan propaganda we can't know until the former WWE champion finally takes to the cage, and it looks like we'll be waiting even longer than expected to see it. 

Whatever happens and whoever the opponent may be, the crossover appeal will mean that it's a huge PPV hit for the UFC, who have sacrificed some sporting prestige to bring in CM Punk for a ratings boost in a time when they have dwindled somewhat aside from a few leading lights.

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