CM Punk recently lived out his dream of headlining WrestleMania 41, but not long ago, the WWE superstar pursued a different fantasy by signing with the UFC.
His brief period in the UFC occurred after a very public falling out led him to leave WWE and attempt a career in mixed martial arts. The signing drew significant criticism, and the results were similarly poor, as Punk lost both his UFC fights, including his debut against Mickey Gall, which barely lasted two minutes of the first round.
These days, Punk seems to have rediscovered his passion for professional wrestling, but UFC veteran Matt Brown remains astonished that the promotion granted him an opportunity based solely on his popularity rather than any actual proven fighting skills.
“The thing with the Punk situation, it wasn`t so much about Punk,” Brown explained. “A lot of people dream about fighting in the UFC. Just the fact that the UFC allowed it felt unnecessary. It wasn`t the PR success they expected, in my opinion. Maybe I`m wrong. It did more for Mickey Gall than anyone else. I love Mickey. I`m good friends with Mickey, so that worked out for him. But I don`t think it did anything for the UFC.”
“You`re not supposed to get in there because of your fame or your popularity. You`re supposed to be the toughest fighter. That`s what `As real as it gets` means, right?”
Gall, in fact, earned his fight against Punk by securing his own spot in the UFC after defeating Mike Jackson in a similarly dominant fashion.
While relatively unknown at the time, Gall was an experienced martial artist with a deep background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He held a 2-0 record when booked to face Punk at UFC 203 in Cleveland in 2016.
Brown recalled a conversation he had with Gall about that fight, noting that even though neither had extensive pro experience heading into the matchup, Punk was ultimately a professional wrestler who was merely an MMA fan and enthusiast.
“What also sucked,” Brown recounted his talk with Mickey, “was the pressure. You must have been incredibly nervous for that fight because you absolutely couldn`t lose to CM Punk. Plus, he was 1-0. It was his second fight in the UFC. Imagine walking out in the UFC for your second fight. That`s immense pressure.”
“With all the media, the attention, the hype, and you`re fighting someone widely perceived as unskilled. You`d be the laughingstock if that guy beat you.”
It worked out well for Gall, who submitted Punk in the first round and is still competing in the UFC eight years later.
As for Punk, he has stated he doesn`t regret taking his shot at fighting in the UFC, even though the outcomes weren`t favorable. In his second fight, Punk was dominated over three rounds by Mike Jackson, but the result was later overturned to a no-contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana.
Since Punk`s two octagon appearances, Dana White has largely shut down opportunities for other non-professional athletes to compete, regardless of their passion for the sport.
WWE superstar and part-time boxer Logan Paul even revealed he reached out to White about potentially having a single UFC fight but received no response. He believed Punk likely “messed it up” for anyone else from professional wrestling attempting a similar path into the UFC.
The fact that it happened at all still surprises Brown, but he believes Punk`s unsuccessful stint likely convinced the UFC it was a poor idea from the outset.
“They [the UFC] tried it once and learned their lesson,” Brown stated. “They shouldn`t have even done it that one time, honestly. But they did it. It`s over now.”
“As I mentioned, Mickey got the best end of that stick. The situation worked out great for him. I`m not sure how well it worked out for anyone else. Certainly not for CM Punk.”
