UFC ‘Pro’ CM Punk joins MTV’s ‘The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros’ on May 16

Former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar Phil Brooks — operating under the handle of “CM Punk” — is now a bona fide Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) “pro” after compiling a healthy 0-1 record.

That’s according to MTV, for the purposes of its new reality game show.

Sure, Punk was asked to go fight somewhere else after Mickey Gall splattered him across the cage at UFC 203 last fall in Cleveland, Ohio, but his credentials were good enough to land him a spot alongside other pros in the network’s six-week gameshow titled The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros.

MTV.com explains how it works:

Each episode will focus on a different strength (agility, ingenuity, brawn, brains, endurance and guts). Every week, the winning team’s captain will choose one member of their team to go into the elimination round, and the rest of the team will vote in their opponent. The losing team’s captain is automatically sent into elimination, and their team will also nominate their opponent. The final male and female competitors of the season will endure the ultimate test, showcasing each strength in one heart-pounding race for the chance to win $50,000 for their favorite charity.

Punk will be competing for his local animal shelter.

The competition brings together 10 “champions” from a collection of its previous Challenge seasons to see if they have what it takes to beat hired guns. Joining Punk will be NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman, Olympian Lolo Jones, and former WNBA player Candice Wiggins, among others.

Hosted by NFL star Victor Cruz, The Challenge: Champs vs. Pros debuts May 16 on MTV.