CM Punk's highly-anticipated UFC debut may occur in December or January and the former WWE Champion has no doubt that he'll be ready when the time comes.
Punk spoke to UFC.com and said that while an official date for his MMA debut in the Octagon isn't set, he is "shooting" for December at the earliest, and possibly January.
"I say this all the time: I'd love to fight tomorrow," Punk told UFC.com. "But I want to be as prepared as I possibly can be and I will be. I'm still shooting for December. It might be January. I'm not sure, but I'll be ready when I fight."
The UFC has a pay-per-view, UFC 194, scheduled for Dec. 5, so it remains possible the Best in the World could make his debut at that date, but it remains to be seen.
Punk walked out on the WWE in January 2014 and signed with UFC that December despite having no experience inside the Octagon.
It was expected Punk would have his first fight in late 2015, which still may happen, but he and UFC president Dana White said its likely it could be pushed back to 2016.
Punk has been training out of Roufusport in Milwaukee and he said the timing of his debut is up to coach Duke Roufus.
"I don't ask my coaches, 'How did I do today? Am I ready?' " Punk said. "They say, 'Come back at 7' and I come back at 7. They tell me to mop, I mop. They tell me to sweep, I sweep. If they tell me to work the mitts or come in and work extra, I do it."
Punk, 36, spent several years in wrestling, but he walked out on Vince McMahon's company after his frustration kept mounting.
He later explained he was "creatively stifled" in the organization and claimed the company doctor, Chris Amann, misdiagnosed him on several occasions.
Dr. Amann sued Punk for his comments on his friend Colt Cabana's podcast for defamation, which is reportedly what led to his real-life wife, former WWE Diva AJ Lee, retiring from the WWE in March.
Lee and Punk tied the knot in June and she stayed with the company despite the turmoil between her husband and the organization, but the lawsuit appeared to be the last straw.
Punk also revealed on the podcast that he got his official termination papers from the WWE on the day he married Lee last June, something McMahon apologized for on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's WWE Network podcast in December.
While a time, opponent and place is yet to be determined, Punk is itching closer to his UFC debut.
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