CM Punk's mixed martial arts (MMA) debut didn't go exactly as planned for the former WWE-superstar turned Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter.
After coming out like a raging bull to open his welterweight bout against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio last night (Sat., Sep. 10, 2016), Punk -- real name Phil Brooks -- found himself on the wrong end of a takedown courtesy of the young up-and-coming prospect.
A few minutes later, CM was tapping out to an air-tight rear-naked choke prior to receiving multiple blows to the head and ear (see it again here).
While most would claim that's what they expected, most are a bit disappointed they didn't get to see much more from Punk; specifically the standup department. Well, fight fans will be glad to hear that Punk will not give up on his MMA quest. Whether or not his next bout is inside the eight-walled cage, remains to be seen.
"My initial venture into this was gonna be at the lowest level," Punk said at the post-fight press conference (via MMA Fighting). "This opportunity just got presented to myself and I would have been a fool to say no. I don't know what happens from here on out. What if I get cut? I don't know. I think that's a possibility. Do I want that to happen? No. But who's to say where I go from here? I don't know. I definitely want to keep going."
Despite his performance (or lack thereof), Punk says he knows he's better than what he showed in his debut.
"There's probably an alternate reality somewhere where I win and I'm still disappointed in myself," Punk said, fighting back the tears. "That's just who I am. I'm just really, really hard on myself. I lost and it sucks and it was lopsided and it's upsetting. But I know I'm better than that."
But, at the end of the day, despite the outcome of his first-ever fight, at the highest level no less, CM says he's glad he went through it
"People can say I didn't belong here," Punk said. "They said I wasn't gonna make it to the Octagon and they said I wasn't gonna make it after the back surgery. Then it was I wasn't gonna make weight. I was happy I did it," said Punk. "I'm beating myself up way more than I got beat up," Punk said. "I'm supremely disappointed. ... I wanted to win. I wanted to perform. It didn't happen."
It's highly-unlikely UFC will flat-out cut the former WWE superstar, as Brock Lesnar also kept his UFC career in tact despite the fact that he wa sforced to tap in his UFC debit back in 2008. Of course, the fact that Brock proved to be a massive box office draw from the jump, had a little bit to do with that.
The jury is still out on Punk's drawing power.
