MMA coach Duke Roufus, who runs Roufusport in Milwaukee, appeared on The MMA Hour recently and talked about CM Punk training for his UFC debut. Thanks to MMAFighting.com for these quotes from Roufus on Punk:
“He’s putting his work in, he shows up every day. He has a great attitude. He didn’t become successful in the WWE by accident. It’s because he was a worker and he was a value to the organization, not only in the front as a face, but in who he is. People get behind people that are easy to work with, and he’s so easy to work with. It’s awesome. That being said, he came in with Gracie jiu-jitsu. The natural thing he’s good at, which makes me happy, is striking. He’s a natural striker. When he did a scrimmage last week, he was pretty comfortable in the fire. He didn’t freak out, he didn’t panic. That’s what I’m looking for in new fighters. It’s not necessarily skill. You can teach skill, but you can’t teach will. Are they going to run and break during a fight, or are they going to get in there and survive the fire? And that’s what I was impressed with. I think in time, all his skills are going to advance, but if he has the mindset and the will, he’s going to do great.”
“Part of fighting is marquee value. Unfortunately, other sports are about being the best. The neat thing about fighting, it’s about how many butts can you put in the seats and marquee value. That being said, I will not let Punk go out and make a mockery of himself or our sport. I love this sport. He’s putting serious work in, he’s putting serious training in, and what I love about him is the attitude. He’s so hungry, and you know what, he doesn’t expect to be treated like a prima donna. He’s running towards the fire instead of running away from it.”
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