PVZ: I love CM Punk, but he’s too old for the UFC

There has long been the charge that mediagenic women in mixed martial arts fighters get opportunities and income not available to all female fighters. Mediagenic is a polite way of saying hot.

Enthusiastically mediagenic UFC strawweight Felice Herrig has a counter argument. She explains that the nature of MMA evens things out.

Sex appeal without skill lacks legs. If all a female MMA fighter is is sexy, without the requisite skill, the consequences are an immediate beating, followed by another beating, until she quits.

The same thing is true with CM Punk. For months there have been complaints that he didn’t belong in the Octagon. Now he knows it – he got the lesson beaten into him. If he doesn’t get it, then he will get a beating again, until he does get it.

UFC strawweight Paige VanZant faced parallel charges, that she was getting opportunities based on her looks. And she was. But she could fight, too.

PVZ won three in a row, and then lost a #1 contender fight to Rose Namajunas. However, in losing VanZant made rather than lost fans, as she hung tough. And then she won the next one in spectacular fashion.

For the record, CM Punk did not know enough to hang tough. He didn’t tap the first time he got hit, but you couldn’t call what happened continuing to fight, either.

But it doesn’t matter. Mixed martial arts finds the truth and punishes the deluded. If a fighter gets opportunities not available to all because she or he is hot, or because he or she is famous, the result is a beating. It’s not like school, where some teacher may give better grades to more attractive or congenial students. It’s school where if you get good grades you didn’t deserve, someone holds your head on the ground and punches it until no matter what you give up.

In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, VanZant, someone who could back up her opportunities, was asked to comment on CM Punk, someone who couldn’t.

PVZ was asked if CM Punk has a career in the UFC.

Ever friendly and polite, PVZ answered slowly.

“He definitely … I mean,” she began, before coming out and saying it. “He’s pretty old. I love CM Punk. I want him to do well. … I don’t know, I think he’s just a little too old for it.

“He came out there a little too aggressive and confident. You just can’t teach Jiu-Jitsu in two years.”

PVZ was asked if she thought he had a chance to fight again and win, or was he simply too old.

“He definitely has a chance,” she replied. “He definitely does. There’s a lot of other people out there that I think he would do a lot better against. Somebody maybe that doesn’t have such a high-level Jiu-Jitsu background.

“I would love to see him fight again. He is definitely persistent, and he’s still an athlete.”

PVZ was asked what he needed to work on.

“He needs to work on his Jiu-Jitsu,” she said, laughing, but not unkindly. “I would say with a good focus on Jiu-Jitsu. But it’s going to take a while. But he could do it.”

Lastly PVZ was asked if it was fun having a guy like CM Punk in the UFC.

“It is. It definitely is,” she replied. “Everyone complained about him being in the UFC, but it’s the entertainment industry, and the UFC is in it to make money, of course. CM Punk is an entertainer, he puts on a show. He brought a lot of fans over to the UFC, and ultimately more fans in the UFC means more money for the rest of us.”

So that’s the story, of two people who got opportunities. One of them could back it up, one couldn’t.