Phil “CM Punk” Brooks thinks he has what it takes to silence plenty of doubters when he makes his UFC debut later this year and is already eyeing a possible title shot.
After it was announced in December 2014 the former WWE man would be joining the company, a date has finally been set for Punk’s debut; he will fight Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio on September 10. And speaking with Colin Cowherd on The Herd radio show (h/t Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting), Punk revealed he thinks he can progress rapidly.
“I know people think this is a publicity stunt, I'm never going to set foot in the Octagon," he said. "I look forward to proving them wrong, but to me, it's not super far-fetched to be like, 'You know what? What if I put three or four wins together? Who's to say I don't get a title shot?”
Fans have been left frustrated by the delays to Punk’s maiden outing in the sport. Per Thomas, the former wrestler has suffered with a shoulder injury and also had to undergo back surgery, meaning he’s been unable to compete.
However, as noted by CNET's Daniel van Boom, there’s a certain significance about the venue that’ll host the 37-year-old’s UFC bow:
CM Punk debuting at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio. It's at the Quicken Loans Arena - the SAME arena he walked out of WWE Raw at in 2014.
— Daniel Van Boom (@dvanboom) June 23, 2016
Punk did hint to Cowherd that MMA world may not be a long-term endeavour for him. “What's wrong with doing it just two or three fights?” he said. “That's a lot of money.” However, the fighter did explain the reasons behind this outlook, citing his time in the WWE.
“I was the guy in wrestling that always had an exit strategy,” he acknowledged. “I was always saying, 'I gotta get out of here.’ … I was surrounded by a lot of old timers on the independent scene before I went to WWE. They were always like, 'You gotta get out.' You gotta get in, you get out.”
Gall is a rising star that will be hoping to quickly put an end to Punk’s time in the Octagon. The man from New Jersey has won both of his professional bouts so far, including an impressive 45-second submission win for the 24-year-old against Mike Jackson in February.
For a lot of fans, the excitement over the acquisition of Punk has worn off due to the setbacks. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden thinks the UFC missed a trick in the manner in which they've handled Punk’s integration into the sport:
The interest in CM Punk has dwindled dramatically. They should have never announced him until he'd trained a year and was ready.
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) April 24, 2016
Still, it’s clear that while the former WWE star may not be around for long, given his age, he intends to make a big impression. As a result of the problems he’s had since the announcement the Chicago-born star could have easily scrapped any plans of fighting, but it's evident he's serious about the UFC.
As the fight edges closer, there will be a huge sense of intrigue about how Punk will fare. Plenty will speculate about how he transitions from the ring to the Octagon, but he enters the sport as a huge unknown quantity. That, coupled with his stature and charisma, will be enough to kindle excitement.
