Chael Sonnen Says CM Punk Walk-Out at UFC on Fox 2 Was Never Confirmed

CM Punk’s walk out with Chael Sonnen for the co-main event at UFC on Fox 2 was not confirmed by either sportsman—it was never official.

Speaking to MMAWeekly.com the former NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division-l standout categorically refuted the claims.

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“I gotta tell you, I read those headlines," said Sonnen. "I never confirmed them. CM Punk never confirmed them. I'll speak for myself... I'm not in the business of stopping a headline, but I never confirmed that anybody would be joining me. I know he didn't confirm it.”

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The initial reaction once the word got out that WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) superstar Punk would be escorting Sonnen to the Octagon was one of excitement and anticipation—the news went viral—creating a buzz which was felt in both realms of MMA and wrestling.

The early furor surrounding the impending collaboration regarding two of the sport’s most polarizing figures was, however, short lived.

Less than a fortnight following the news, reports surfaced that WWE President Vince McMahon had in essence thrown a spanner in the works, thus preventing Punk from accompanying Sonnen to the cage in his Jan. 28, matchup with Mark Munoz (who has since been supplanted by Michael Bisping following an injury).

Those same reports were then verified by the WWE champion when he spoke to MMAFigting.com.

Sonnen and Bisping are set to throwdown in a title eliminator bout for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight crown.

UFC on Fox 2 is scheduled for Jan. 28, 2012, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.

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