CM Punk: Latest News and Buzz Surrounding Former WWE Star for Week of March 23

The idea that CM Punk is actually following up his WWE career with one in UFC is becoming more real. His training is intensifying, and fans recently got a first glimpse of what the former pro wrestler will look like in MMA garb.

As the second consecutive WrestleMania that Punk will not be a part of approaches, he still remains a hot topic in WWE circles. We can't help but talk about him.

He's a polarizing figure set to either shock the world with success in the Octagon or fall on his face as all his doubters say, "I told you so."

UFC is fully aware of the buzz he's creating. The company recently packaged five of Punk's favorite fights ever as part of its Fight Pass (h/t WrestlingInc). On that list is Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama, where both men just battered each other's faces.

How does Punk not end up looking like Takayama did at the end of that fight? A pair of pro wrestlers who also toiled in the Octagon had advice to share.

Advice from Those Who Have Done Both

Brock Lesnar may be officially done with UFC, but he knows what the transition Punk is going through is like. The 2013 SummerSlam opponents spoke about Punk's future in the cage.

Punk told Fox Sports of his interaction with The Beast Incarnate:

"

I asked him what the hardest thing for him to do was; he's a super freak athlete, but something had to be difficult for him. I find it's the exact same thing I'm having difficulty with, and that's learning to let go. Striking, sparring is completely different. Someone's trying to punch me in the face, I'm trying to punch them in the face. But often I'll find I'm too light on guys if I'm rolling, my hips aren't heavy enough, it's like I'm trying to work with them like the old pro wrestling kicking in, and he had the same problem, so it's interesting to know that.

"

Most people assume that the hardest thing about moving to MMA would be getting hit much harder. It's not surprising, though, that the opposite is true.

If you spend your whole career trying not to hurt people, it has to take some unlearning to start dishing out blows with the opposite intent.

In addition to working on that, Punk has something else to chew on, courtesy of Ken Shamrock.

JANE KALINOWSKY/Associated Press

Shamrock made the opposite move as Lesnar and Punk, going from the cage to the wrestling ring. He understands both worlds and offered Punk a recommendation when he spoke on the WNS Podcast (h/t Wrestling Inc).

The UFC Hall of Famer said, "I would tell him to have fun. Don't let the pressure of everybody saying you've got to produce. This is your first fight and I think they're doing him right."

That's a good strategy if it's possible. Punk is entering a unique situation where he has a bevy of eyes on him, the majority of which are waiting to see him fail. To avoid feeling pressure in that circumstance has to be next to impossible.

Preparations Continue

Check "first-ever sparring session" off Punk's to-do list leading up to his eventual UFC debut. He mixed it up with Craig Eckelberg earlier this month.

Trainer Duke Roufus shared a shot of the session on Instagram:

Roufus noted in the caption, "Punk has some things to work on but he showed a lot of #Potential." The first part of that sentence is expected; Punk is a 36-year-old rookie. 

His opponent for his first bit of sparring is a welterweight, so perhaps that's a clue as to what weight class Punk will eventually fight in. 

In an interview with Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin, Punk said of the experience, "There wasn't a single nerve, I wasn't scared. It's part of training."

Imig also asked when we might see Punk step in there for real. The Chicago native offered a sizable window of time. 

Punk said, "I'm shooting for the end of the year (to make my UFC debut). So, October at the earliest, December the latest. If they tell me I'm a whiz kid after six months and they think I'm ready; it might be earlier and it might be later, I don't know."

That feels like a long way away for fans, but likely not for Punk. He has a lot of cramming to do as a student in constant catch-up mode.

At least we know what we will look in the Octagon. UFC did a photo shoot with Punk, asking him to pose in gloves and trunks. Pro Wrestling Mag tweeted some of the pics by Mike Roach for Getty Images:

Check out more portraits from the session here, via ESPN.com.

For any fans wondering if he heads back to WWE should he fail as a fighter, Punk shut that idea down. He told Imig that there is "zero" chance of him ever working there again.

Perhaps then he could pursue a career in politics instead. As noted by Max Read on Gawker (contains NSFW language), Punk received a write-in vote in the race for Georgia's 10th Congressional District as many voters looked to elect anyone other than controversial Congressman Paul Broun.

No stranger to controversy himself, Punk is inching ever closer to his debut in his new career, the buzz around him not set to die anytime soon.