Ohio commish compares CM Punk, Lesnar to explain licensing exception
CM Punk has Brock Lesnar to thank for obtaining his license to fight at UFC 203 this Saturday.
The event, in which Punk is slated to make his MMA debut, will take place in Cleveland, Ohio, where the state's athletic commission guidelines should deem the WWE superstar ineligible for a fighting license, which requires a winning record across a minimum of five amateur fights. Punk, who's only trained in the sport for two years, has never competed on the amateur circuit in any discipline.
According to MMAFighting's Luke Thomas, the commission's executive director Bernie Profato has made an exception for Punk, likening him to another wrestler-turned-martial-artist.
"CM Punk has a wrestling background similar to Brock Lesner being permitted to fight in the past."
While Punk and Lesnar do share lengthy careers in the WWE, the latter was a two-time All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota before his stint in the squared circle, winning a Division I national title in 2000.
Lesnar also won his sole amateur bout before debuting in the UFC, a first-round TKO of Olympic-level judoka Min Soo Kim at a 2007 K-1 event. In other words, he also did not fulfill the Ohio guidelines at the time of his debut, but Lesnar still wasn't half the Johnny-come-lately Punk is now.
Aside from Punk's pro wrestling pedigree, Profato cited the UFC's sound matchmaking in past stateside events as a deciding factor in waiving his requirements.
UFC 203 is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 10 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The event is the promotion's sixth in Ohio.