By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

C.M. Punk appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter Wednesday morning to discuss his transition from WWE to UFC.

The interview started with an icebreaker of Punk discussing his famous 93-minute match against Chris Hero at an IWA Mid-South show in July 2003. The tie-in was an NHL game between the Florida Panthers and Washington Capitals going to a 20-round shoot-out Tuesday night.

During the interview, Punk said he wanted to give a new answer on the differences and similarities between WWE head Vince McMahon and UFC head Dana White. He said he did not like his response when asked in a recent interview (presumably his Fox Sports Live interview last week).

"Both are driven. Both are set in their ways. Both have an idea of what's best for their company," Punk said of their similarities. For the differences, Punk said, "the difference is in the generation. Vince is very old-school. Dana is more open-minded. There's more of a warmth on the UFC side than I've experienced."

Asked why he's transitioning to UFC, Punk said, "Why not?" After a pause, he continued, "Am I ready today? Probably not. But, I'd fight anyone right now. You have to be a little bit nuts."

Punk said the journey to prepare for his first fight in 2015 will "not be easy," but he's excited to get there, train, and hone his skills. Punk noted he's most comfortable on the ground right now.

Punk also talked about the "irony not lost on me" regarding his situation walking into UFC with no prior fight experience compared to how he felt in WWE when part-timers received main event spots.

But, he said the negativity from certain UFC fighters will fuel him. He said he understands fighters's perspective, but his point of view is "doing what's good for me and my family." He said he hopes to change people's minds when he fights.

Punk cited people telling him he would never make it to WWE (circling back to the IWA-MS reference from his pre-WWE days), never be WWE champion, and now never make it to MMA.

"I will definitely use the negativity to fuel me to prove people wrong. I feel I'm very good at doing that," Punk closed.

The sit-down interview at ESPN's SportsCenter studio was hosted by Chris McKendry and Jay Crawford.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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