Fertitta: CM Punk's first opponent will be 'someone who MMA media will recognize'

I'm sure you know who CM Punk is by now - real name Phil Brooks, former professional wrestler. Now signed to the UFC despite no competitive fighting experience. Punk expects to debut in late 2015 after getting many months of solid training at Roufusport. But the biggest question since he signed has been pretty simple - who is Punk going to fight? In an interview with ESPN, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta addressed the issue:

"I think it has to be somebody with some level of credentials. It's not just going to be some guy off the street. It's going to be somebody who is a professional mixed martial artist -- certainly somebody who MMA media will recognize and know."

...

"But I'm going to defer to Joe Silva. We'll let him bring two to three names to the table and we'll figure it out from there. But I guarantee you it will be a competitive guy."

He also stated that while the fighter will be known, it will "most likely" be someone that's not currently on the UFC roster and will have to be brought in from the outside. So, take that for what you will. It's also unclear at this point if Punk will debut at middleweight or welterweight, so that will have to be taken into account as well.