After quitting the WWE in June 2014, CM Punk decided to give MMA a try. The Best in the World later declared in December 2014 that he and the UFC had reached an agreement regarding a multi-fight contract. As a result, Punk was booked against Mickey Gall for his debut match at UFC 203.
CM Punk instantly became a fan favorite, as he was already in the news following his WWE departure. However, the former WWE champion’s MMA career didn’t go as per expectations.
Like Brock Lesnar and Ken Shamrock, fans expected Punk to perform well inside the octagon. The WWE Universe believed he was a tough individual based on his never-give-up attitude that they have seen so far. However, regardless of all the expectations, CM Punk’s UFC career resulted in a huge failure.
As a result, UFC commentator Joe Rogan didn’t hold back while talking about Punk in the 31st MMA Show edition of The Joe Rogan Experience. He stated that the former WWE superstar is hardworking but does not have ‘athletic talent’. The 55-year-old also stated that Punk was a star in WWE just because it was scripted.
“He is a very nice guy and a hard worker, but he does not have athletic talent. He was a showman and when he was in the WWE, he was allowed to say I’m the f***g man and throw his arms up in the air. And they had it scripted, so he was the man.” said Rogan.
What is CM Punk’s UFC record?
In his whole UFC career, Punk competed in a total of two fights. After announcing that he had signed a contract with the company, he made his professional UFC debut against Mickey Gall.
At UFC 203, Punk’s first fight in the octagon ended in the first round after Gall made him submit following a highly dominant start. The Chicago Boy failed to land even a few punches on his opponent as Gall performed a successful takedown in the few initial seconds of the bout.
CM Punk vs Mickey Gall
One of the biggest mismatches in UFC history pic.twitter.com/GxLYJaxRg4
— BRAWL UNIVERSE 🌐 (@BrawlUniverse) January 8, 2023
After a nightmare debut, the Voice of the Voiceless was up against Mike Jackson at UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2 in 2018. The match resulted in a unanimous decision loss for Punk as he failed to win even a single round.
However, Punk’s second loss was later overturned after Mike Jackson tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol due to marijuana use. Hence, the Best in the World’s UFC record is 0-1-1.