Bas Rutten: CM Punk should forget about America and go to Holland to improve his striking

Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, caused quite a ruckus when it was announced he signed a multi-fight deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

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That's because the former WWE superstar made it to the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) stage of them all without ever having fought professionally. To his credit, Brooks -- a self-admitted white belt in the sport -- isn't boasting about setting the MMA world on fire, but rather repeatedly insisting he's merely hoping to do the best he can.

He does have some ground skills thanks to the training he's done with members of the Gracie family, as Brooks has picked up some very helpful tips from the best-of-the-best. His striking though, is still a mystery, as no one has actually seen him throw a real punch before.

But if he wants to up his striking level in order to hang inside the Octagon, Bas Rutten advises him to go to Holland for a few months to train with the "best strikers on the planet." Because if he trains with less-technical strikers in America, he could get hurt.

Rutten explains to Submission Radio:

"But really, if I have to give him some advice, I say go to Holland. Forget America right now, go to Holland. Go to a gym like a Maeng Ho gym [with] really great strikers there, and start training with those guys. These guys are so good that they won't beat you up in training. Because if you have a guy a little bit less technical, they will hit you by accident, they'll knock you out by accident, they'll hurt you by accident. Guys like that in Holland, it's what they do. It's one of their main sports in Holland; kickboxing, Thai boxing. So if you go there and just everyday you work on your striking -- and don't worry, they have great wrestlers there as well -- but three times a week or four times a week you grapple, and then eight times a week you do solid striking. That's what I would suggest for him."

While some in the MMA world have flat-out dismissed Punk's move over to MMA from wrestling, others such as Rutten and UFC welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler, have welcomed it. And UFC President Dana White has tried his best to defend the signing.

"Ruthless" has gone as far as extend an olive branch to the former WWE star, inviting him to train with him and the rest of the American Top Team (ATT) crew at a place that has some highly-skilled strikers, as well.

Albeit, a bit less technical than the ones he'll find in Holland, per Rutten.