Former professional wrestler Phil Brooks -- known by his in-ring name "CM Punk" -- signed with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in late 2014, but well over a year later, still does not have an opponent lined up or a date for his Octagon debut.
That worries the team at UFC on FOX (transcribed by MMA Junkie).
Daniel Cormier:
"I'm excited to see Phil make his debut, but I do think that as time is passing, it starts to lose some of the intrigue. I think the iron was hot when he first walked out on the WWE and that's when he would have made the biggest impression on the MMA community because WWE fans would have followed him to MMA."
Kenny Florian:
"This is what really concerns me because they said he was going to fight in 2015. That he needs some time to train. Well, that hasn't happened. I know he has dealt with some other injuries and things like that. But the fact that they say that he's not ready concerns me. It shows that, listen, you don't just jump into this sport and say you're going to compete. It takes time and there's a process. There's a reason why they're telling him to take his time. I think his training isn't coming along as fast as they thought and it's unfortunate."
Brooks turned 37 back in October.
While an injury setback can be blamed for the delay, the promotion may be holding off in an attempt to stack the proverbial deck at UFC 200, the July pay-per-view (PPV) event inside the new MGM-AEG Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (details).
For much more on Brooks and his UFC debut click here.