The world of televised fighting has long held ties with other parts of the entertainment world, with Tommy Morrison’s turn in Rocky, the Insane Clown Posse’s emergence in the WWE, and whatever the hell Celebrity Boxing was. (To name just a few.) The UFC, thanks to the legitimate danger involved in stepping inside the octagon, isn’t often the victim of such crossover shenanigans, but former Green (and later White) Power Ranger Jason David Frank is both willing and ready to show off his real-life battle skills. His first target? Former WWE superstar-turned-UFC rookie CM Punk. This potential match-up’s geek cred is immeasurable.
The MMA world is still getting used to a future where another professional wrestler wants to trade in staged brawls for spontaneous violence, as CM Punk just announced Saturday night on UFC 181 that he’d signed a UFC contract and is putting his professional wrestling days behind him. To be expected, Punk was immediately taken to task on social media, with fighters and fans alike putting the inked-up muscleman in a variety of match ideas. And then along came Jason David Frank, a burgeoning MMA fighter in his own right.
Here’s how Frank let the world know of his intentions through his Instagram page.
We’re going to sidestep the urge to decry “Gimmick!” on this, as well as the urge to correct Frank’s use of “there” in his message. It’s obvious that even though Frank will never drop the Green Ranger persona from his life, he isn’t asking to actually engage in fisticuffs as a Power Ranger. Frank has an amateur fighting record of 4-0, and his first professional fight was also a victory. What’s more, each of the bouts were ended in the first round, with three submissions, one knockout and one TKO. He doesn’t really need special powers or a colored suit to do damage to anyone.
Frank popped up in the news recently when it was announced that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers would once again be heading to the big screen for a new feature. As you can imagine, the actor will probably show up in some form. If this proposed match somehow becomes a reality, we can probably expect to see a fictional UFC fight in the movie.
Will CM Punk ever actually face Jason David Frank for a UFC Fight Night or, Dana White forbid, a pay per view event? Only time, and perhaps a giant megazord, will tell.
