How bad is CM Punk?
Bad enough to be the only mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter on the entire Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster who can’t defeat big-mouth boxer Paulie Malignaggi, who is perhaps best known ‘round these parts for his Conor McGregor rivalry.
Which ended just as quickly as it began (thanks to this).
That’s according to UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, who rattled off a list of current featherweights who would kill Malignaggi inside the cage, including Ricardo Lopez, Yair Rodriguez, and Max Holloway.
From The Joe Rogan Experience Fight Companion podcast (via MMA Fighting):
“He should shut the fuck up because if he wanted to have a UFC fight he can go over there and get his brain kicked in. He’s out of his mind. Stop talking. You’re a boxer. You’re a very good boxer. Just shut your mouth. There’s literally a million people in the world that could grab you and strangle the life out of you and there’s not a goddamn thing you could do about it. He’d probably fuck CM Punk up.”
Worse than this?
Malignaggi, like a lot of combat sports athletes, has been keeping a close eye on all the “MMA vs. Boxing” rivalries over the past year, which aside from McGregor, also included Stipe Miocic and Jimi Manuwa.
Often imitated, never duplicated.
Having McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather was the sort of spectacle that won't be replicated because no one else in either sport is on their level in terms of popularity, which equates to beaucoup bucks at the box office.
Can’t blame a guy for trying, I suppose.