The specter of CM Punk looms over the "UFC on Fox 13" telecast after his major announcement on UFC 181 that he would be joining Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), signing a multi-fight deal with the mixed martial arts (MMA) organization.

"I don't think you can approach anything with such a strong fear of failure that it would prevent you from doing anything. There is a big chance fall flat on my face on this," said CM Punk in an interview with Fox Sports Live. "Obviously, it will be in front of the entire world but that's never stopped me from attempting to do anything. You're talking to a man who crapped himself on national television. I'm ready to be embarrased if it comes to that."

The reaction among those in the MMA industry has been mixed considering that Punk, a five-time WWE world champion and formerly one of the biggest stars in the wrestling company, comes into the sport of MMA with zero experience in any combat sport, having never sparred and having not even earned a white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu despite his recreational training with the world-renowned Gracie family.

UFC lightweight Nate Diaz, who will be competing against third-ranked lightweight Rafael dos Anjos in the co-main event of the "UFC on Fox 13" card, thinks that Punk signing with the UFC is "a horrible idea for the sport."

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"He's an amateur," said Diaz. "Don't even put him in there with me. I can't play in the NFL because I want to. Even the champ, they wouldn't let him play in the NFL because he wants to. You don't put the amateurs with the pros. I think it's a ridiculous situation so [expletive] that."

It is understandable why UFC president Dana White would want to sign Punk to the MMA organization. CM Punk is a draw any way you cut it. Punk sold as much merchandise during his time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as John Cena, which is saying a lot. The immensely popular and charismatic "Straight Edge Superstar" pushed ticket and pay-per-view (PPV) sales for the powerhouse sports entertainment company, proving that he can "move the needle."

With UFC PPV sales down, bottoming out with 115,000 for UFC 174, and other MMA companies like Bellator and World Series of Fighting (WSOF) likely interested in signing Punk in their quest to garner fan attention, signing someone of Punk's popularity was a no-brainer for White. Bringing Punk into the UFC fold is what's best for business with Punk's first bout, likely to happen halfway through 2015, guaranteed to draw in hardcore MMA fans that want to see him get demolished as well as Punk's fans who want to see him do well in his new endeavor.

"Pay-per-views were down because we haven't had any fights that have held together," said White. "But yeah, this guy can definitely sell some pay-per-views."

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Punk's move to UFC is being compared to Brock Lesnar, but such comparisons are utterly unfair and disrespectful to Lesnar, who was an All-American NCAA wrestler. Unlike Punk and his extremely limited fight experience, Lesnar had a background in wrestling having won the National Junior college wrestling championship for Bismarck State College, two Big Ten Conference Championships and an NCAA heavyweight championship in 2000 for the University of Minnesota after being the runner-up in 1999. During his collegiate career, Lesnar compiled a 106-5 record in four years of amateur wrestling competition. Lensar also had to prove himself in another MMA organization before White would consider him signing "The Anomaly" to the UFC.

"Brock Lesnar is a complete super athlete, a monster and his wrestling credentials is crazy," said Diaz. "It's whole other situation. And he fought before he was in the UFC. They made him fight, test him out."

Critics of the CM Punk signing were also quick to point out the hypocrisy of UFC signing someone with no combat sport experience, yet a fighter like ONE FC welterweight champion Ben Askren -- who is a two-time NCAA champion after having gone to the finals four times, made the 2008 U.S. Olympic wrestling team and held the Bellator welterweight crown before he left the company -- was asked to compete in WSOF and get a few more wins under his belt before he would be considered by UFC.

"Here they signed a guy who not only has no MMA fights, but has no real combat-sports background at all," said Askren after UFC 181, who was in the corner of UFC Lightweight Champion's Anthony Pettis during the PPV event. "It's not like he was some boxer or wrestler, or a guy like Brock Lesnar. He was this hulking guy who was a national champion wrestler. CM Punk has no real background in this at all."

It is hard to blame Punk for signing with UFC considering he is just chasing a dream. Punk cannot control the politics of the sport, cannot be blamed for taking the undisclosed money that he was offered to him by the company and cannot control the gripes of other fighters from within the UFC roster and from outside the organization. And while he is fully cognizant of it all, Punk is not letting it get in his way, choosing to ignore the negativity from nay-sayers.

"This is about me and my journey to get there. I understand other peoples' point of view about, 'Oh, there's great fighters out there like Ben Askren,' said Punk to Rolling Stone magazine. "My only point on that is, 'Don't be mad at me, Ben. Be mad at Dana.' I'm sure Ben Askren's a nice guy. If he's mad at me, I understand. But if the [National Hockey League Chicago] Blackhawks came to me before Dana and [UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta] did and were like, 'We're gonna put you in goal,' I'd be like, 'That's great. I played a little hockey when I was a kid.' You know what I mean? I'm not gonna deny myself some opportunity because somebody on Twitter thinks I shouldn't have it."

Are the critics right or wrong about CM Punk in the UFC? Let us know in the coments section below

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