Fox Sports MMA writer Elias Cepeda was one of the guests on this week’s Submission Radio (embedded above; segment at 1:24:27) and an interesting topic came out. He’s 3-2 in amateur MMA fights (with no fights since February 2013 due to injuries) and threw his hat in as a potential opponent for CM Punk when the former WWE Champion makes his UFC debut. This is how he laid it out:
I have no animus against them. I met Phil briefly – actually what turned out to be his first week over at Roufusport. I just went out there and did the pro training. Duke Roufus was kind enough to let me up there and do some training. They’ve got a great camp, I have a lot of respect for them, and he seems like a great guy, I keep on hearing that he’s working hard. So I definitely have no desire inside of my gut to punch him in the face or anything like that. However, I am a fighter and I will fight. I’ve fought for free, I’ve fought in front of not very many people.
If the UFC came and said ‘hey, you wanna fight Phil Brooks, CM Punk, for a lot more money than you’ve ever fought for before?’. Would I take the chance? Well I’d certainly tell Duke Roufus ‘hey coach, I’ve got no problem with you, but this opportunity here, yeh I’d fight him’. I’m not afraid of anybody that doesn’t have any fights. I’m not afraid of anyone that, whose sole Jiu Jitsu experience has been training with a Jiu Jitsu coach who live 2000 miles away from him. Would I fight him? In a heartbeat. I’ve fought much tougher, much scarier people than, you know, a 37-year-old who’s tough, but has never been in a real fight.
