CM Punk had a short career inside the cage but he did manage two fights with the biggest MMA organization in the world, the UFC. The former WWE man spent years training and has a lot of respect for the sport.

He's currently back in pro wrestling as he competes for AEW, his UFC days are well behind him. It made a huge splash when he signed for the organization and his debut was extremely memorable.

He still speaks out on MMA and gives his take on various topics. The former UFC welterweight was recently asked, by Helen Yee, about who he thought the greatest MMA fighter of all time was, he went with a surprising and respectable answer.

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“I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Sakuraba. Probably a lot of people wouldn’t pick Sakuraba. But I’m a pro wrestler at heart and I know Saku is, too. So he’s one of those guys that kind of captures everything I love about mixed martial arts. Perennial underdog, ugly ears. What’s not to love?”

Sakuraba is the kind of pick someone makes when they truly know the sport of MMA. CM Punk flexed his MMA knowledge and went with a man famous for his fights outside of the UFC.

Sakuraba was nicknamed ‘The Gracie Killer' as he was the first to truly beat the Gracie's at a time when they were dominating the sport. He mostly fought in Pride but was inducted in the UFC Hall of Fame a few years ago.