UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor has started a trend where he makes a bold prediction ahead of all of his fights inside the Octagon and more often times than not, he's been on the money.
Former WWE superstar CM Punk is days away from making his debut at UFC 203 where he hopes to see his dreams realized as he faces Mickey Gall in a featured bout on the pay-per-view this Saturday night.
Punk isn't ready to follow McGregor's lead when it comes to making a brash prediction ahead of a contest so don't expect him to call the round when he expects to finish Gall this weekend.
Punk will state with confidence, however, that he's going to get the job done and walk out of Quicken Loans arena sporting a proud 1-0 record as a professional fighter.
"I see my hand getting raised," Punk told FOX Sports on the UFC 203 media conference call. "I'm not one for making predictions and I'm not sure if Conor's hat would fit my head. I don't know if he's got a large head or a small one, but I'm not trying to wear Conor's hat, I'm not trying to wear anybody else's hat. I'm just trying to be me, do my thing.
"I definitely see myself winning and if I had to pick, I'd say TKO."
— CM Punk
Since signing with the UFC at the end of 2014, Punk has faced a litany of questions about what to expect when he finally makes his debut.
The former professional wrestler had no formal training whatsoever when he first asked coach Duke Roufus to lead him through the rigors of a crash course on mixed martial arts and now less than two years later, Punk is ready to make his debut.
He will walk into the arena in Cleveland as a 3-to-1 underdog to Gall, who currently sports a 2-0 record including a victory over Mike Jackson in his UFC debut back in February. Punk will also enter his UFC career as one of the most recognized names on the roster regardless of his novice fight experience inside the cage.
Punk is a huge attraction for the UFC thanks to his many years spent headlining shows for the WWE so he knows there will be plenty of people in the arena supporting him for his debut.
Of course, Punk also understands he's going to have his fair share of detractors and that's why he's not concerning himself with the praise he's receiving from his fans or getting mired in negativity from the people who doubt him.
All Punk really cares about is that both fans and haters are tuning in to see him fight on Sept. 10.
"There's people who want to see me win, there's people who want to see me fail," Punk said. "I've said it, you kind have got to middle road it. You can't get too far up your own ass believing all the positive stuff people say and you read about yourself because conversely you can't believe all the negative stuff.
"The people who want to see me lose, if I could take a page out of my old job, it doesn't really matter if they're booing or cheering, as long as they're really loud and invested in the fight, I think that's all both of us really care about."
