This shouldnt come as a shock, considering his former line of work, but it usually doesnt take Phil Brooks long to make an impression.Take UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, for example. He first met Brooks, better known as former pro wrestler CM Punk, in January 2015, and thanks to pure coincidence, the two joined Roufusport martial arts academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, around the same time.Punk, 37, was brand new to the sport at that point, signing with the UFC the previous month despite having no experience. Woodley was a veteran who, as it would turn out, was just 18 months away from winning a UFC title.Unlike some of his peers, Woodley never took issue with Punks fast track to the UFC. He wasnt necessarily a fan either. He was indifferent to Punks story at first, but quickly came to respect him, even learn from him.One of the first conversations we had, we were talking about the WWE, and he told this story about early in his career, a guy came down from the big circuit and asked if anyone knew how to ride a motorcycle, Woodley said. Everyone in the room started answering, No, no, no. Punk stood up and said, I can ride a bike. The guy said, Cool, were pulling you up for this show. After he left, everybody was like, Man, youre so lucky. If only I knew how to ride a bike, and Punk said, I dont know how to ride a bike, but Ill learn between now and then.He was telling this story like it was funny or a joke, but it was inspiring to me. Just that mindset: You dont have to have it all figured out.It has taken longer than some originally expected, but that same mindset has carried Punk to his Octagon debut against Mickey Gall (2-0) at UFC 203 on Saturday inside Clevelands Quicken Loans Arena.The impression Punk will ultimately have on MMA might take longer than the one he made on Woodley, Then again, maybe not. Perhaps Saturday will mark the start and finish of Punks career, or maybe hell fight into his 40s. Its hard to say.A celebrity with no experience making his MMA debut in the sports top promotion, against a 24-year-old opponent who was hand-picked during an internet mini-series -- theres no precedent for something like this.At the very least, one would assume theres pressure on Punk to look respectable Saturday. Many view him as a privileged star who has been gifted an opportunity he doesnt deserve. Punk is not a fighter but has been afforded the luxury of the UFCs promotional muscle. Hes taking attention away from the real athletes in Cleveland, and probably earning more than them. Those who see it this way want Punk to lose, badly -- enough that hell never venture close to a cage again.Punk and his team claim hes not feeling that pressure though. As trite as it sounds, he just wanted to get in a fight, and it isnt more complicated than that. Placing it under a spotlight only made sense, but its not the main reason behind it.Punk gets hounded by people, but theyre not seeing it from his perspective, UFC lightweight and Roufusport teammate Erik Koch?said. Punk never asked to fight in the UFC. He said, Hey, this is something Id like to try, and when Dana White heard that, he jumped all over it. Punk said, Id feel like a jackass if I turned this opportunity down. People kill for this opportunity.I think a lot of people are under the impression theres this pressure on Punk, and in a way there is, but hes doing this to have fun. Hes doing it because at the end of his life, he wants to look back and say, Hey, I did that s---.In the last year, Punk uprooted his life from Chicago to Milwaukee to eliminate the daily drive to practice. At the peak intensity of his training, he was in the gym three times per day.He has been a teammate to former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis during a championship fight week. Earlier this year, Punk and Koch went to a movie theater in Milwaukee while Koch was in the process of dropping weight. Instead of popcorn, Koch brought what he thought were hard-boiled eggs as a snack, but mistakenly grabbed raw ones. When he cracked an egg all over himself in the theater, Punk nearly died laughing. In recent months, Punk has gone through the process of trimming weight himself.In the fight itself, anything can happen, and although he has hinted at fighting beyond Saturday, nothing is guaranteed. After UFC 203, though, Punk will have experienced the life of a professional fighter. In that sense, hes already comfortable with the outcome.I dont think it was ever questioned whether physically I could handle the training camp, Punk said. I think mentally was the question, but now we all know.[Regarding naysayers], if I set foot in the Octagon, Ive already won. Im doing something that a lot of people thought I couldnt do. At the end of the day, I dont want to walk in there and lose. I want to show up. I want to beat Mickey. Theres so many different variables, everything has to line up on that one perfect day, you know, and Im looking to that on [Saturday]. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Stitched Soccer Jerseys . The Dane followed up his first European Tour title last weekend with eight birdies and just a single dropped shot on Thursday for a one-stroke advantage over South Africas Allan Versfeld and Portugals Ricardo Santos. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Soccer Jerseys China .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. RIO DE JANEIRO -- After competing at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Center during the preliminary round last week, the U.S. womens water polo players had a more impressive venue Monday afternoon. For one thing, they played Brazil at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, where Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky swam to multiple gold medals.And for another, the pools color was blue, not green.According to Rio Olympic officials, last weeks sudden and surprising green color in the Maria Lenk pools for water polo and diving was due to the mistaken use of hydrogen peroxide. That created a sea of concern about the waters safety, but the U.S. team said it was no big deal at all.Weve played in a lot of different types of pools, goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson said. It was just another pool.U.S. coach Adam Krikorian said people made a much bigger deal about the color than was warranted and that the team has been in much worse pools. Even the pools we train at sometimes. It happens, he said. Its fine as long as the temperature is OK and its healthy. The players werent saying anything to me [about problems].Captain Maggie Steffens said she received many questions about the green water but that it had no effect and was no different than playing any other water polo game. Still, she loved playing in the swimming center Monday where Phelps had competedYou can even feel the energy that swimming left here, she said. Anytime you get to be in a stadium or pool that your sport plays in and feel the energy that was left by legends, literally legends, it makes playing so much more unique. You can almost feel that energy in the water.The Brazil team certainly felt the energy, albeit in a bad way for their chances, because the energy from the U.S. team completely dominated the game. The Americans led 13-0 at one point on their way to the 13-3 victory and advanced to a semifinal against Hungary on Wednesday.When we walked out, I could feel the energy, I could feel the passion that was bubbling through the stands, Steffens said. I was just smiling, and looking up I could see a lot of American flags. I hope that one day we can play in the final and fill up those stands. And make history when it comes to womens water polo.ddddddddddddThe Americans are trying to become the first country to win consecutive gold medals in womens water polo, which was added to the Olympics in 2000. They won the 2012 Olympics, and the way they have been playing, theyre a good pick to win here. They have yet to lose a game while outscoring opponents 47-17. Nine U.S. players scored goals Monday.As many goals as the U.S. has scored, Krikorian said the defense has been the biggest part of the teams success. Johnson did not allow a single goal Monday. The U.S. gave up Brazils three goals after Krikorian subbed for her near the end of the game.While water polo is not a popular sport in the United States, Steffens says the U.S. women are strong because of the playing opportunities that athletes in California and Florida get, plus the tight connections they can make with past Olympians. She also wants more people to notice the sport.I truly think water polo is not only the most fun sport to play, but to watch, too, Steffens said. Yes, Im biased, but I grew up a swimmer and a soccer player, a basketball player. I did gymnastics. Im a huge Warriors fan now. I love watching womens soccer. I watch other sports, but man, water polo encompasses all of those sports.Youre able to sit down and watch one hour of the sport and get the sense of basketball, get the feel of swimming, get the feel of wrestling, get the excitement of soccer. And I would love to show that to the world ... with the way we play. We would love to move forward and play the semis and the final in this pool, and we have to play our best.Water polo is extremely popular in the Balkans and central Europe, including Hungary, which has won nine gold medals on the mens side but no medals on the womens side. The U.S. beat Hungary 11-6 in the preliminary round here.Its the semifinals, so well have a tough matchup no matter what, Steffens said. But I think if we can continue to play with the heart and the passion [well win]. And I would like to have the Brazil fans even cheering for us. ' ' '