Seth Rollins, Ryback Comment on CM Punk's MMA Debut at UFC 203

Seth Rollins and Ryback will both be rooting for CM Punk when the former WWE star makes his mixed martial arts debut Saturday at UFC 203. 

"Say what you will about his attitude and his relationship with the company right now, but I wish him the best and I hope that he is successful—win, lose or draw," Rollins said in an interview with ESPN.com's Brian Campbell.

Ryback offered encouraging remarks as well:

"

From a basic human being standpoint, he is showing courage doing something the majority of people on this planet will never do and that is step in a cage and fight in front of millions of people. I respect he wants to test himself and has the courage to do so. For that reason alone, while I don't condone him saying the things he said about me, I want to him do well. Any man can beat another man on any given night, so I just hope he achieves what he is looking for in this and I will leave it at that.

"

Ryback's comments are somewhat surprising, if only because of the bad blood that existed between him and Punk.

Punk famously didn't hold back when talking about Ryback on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast (warning: Link contains NSFW language) in December 2014 after he had left WWE. He criticized the one-time intercontinental champion's sloppiness and inexperience in the ring.

After Punk underwent back surgery in February, which delayed his debut in the Octagon, Ryback sent out a cryptic tweet alluding to an anecdote that Punk had discussed with Cabana:

"

@CMPunk My bad it was an accident "I'm dumb as f&€#" 

— The Big Guy (@Ryback22) February 11, 2016"

Ryback's acrimonious and abrupt departure from WWE may have given him a new perspective. In a post on Tumblr (warning: Link contains NSFW language), he wrote about his dissatisfaction with the company that somewhat echoed Punk's issues.

Looking ahead to the weekend, many eyes will be on Punk's fight with Mickey Gall. According to Odds Shark, Punk is a 3-1 underdog, which may not fully demonstrate how much the odds are against him. He's 37 years old and fighting his first professional MMA fight—after spending more than a decade as a professional wrestler.

UFC 203 will bring a lot of attention to the company, but MMA fans will argue this kind of spectacle isn't great for the sport. But Punk had plenty of doubters in WWE before he became one of the biggest stars in wrestling. He'll have his opportunity to silence his doubters Saturday.