CM Punk recently shared his thoughts on his two fights inside the UFC Octagon. While it’s usual to see newcomers step into the Octagon for the first time—this upcoming event, UFC Vegas 112, even features seven fighters making their debut, including one added at the last minute—Punk’s journey was quite different. Despite surprising commentator Joe Rogan with his performances, fans were largely critical of his fights. Although the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion doesn’t regret stepping into MMA, he acknowledges that one mistake can seriously harm a fighter’s prospects.
Phil Brooks, known to many as CM Punk, has openly stated he has no regrets about competing twice in the UFC since it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. He lost to Mickie Gall at UFC 203 in 2016 and to Mike Jackson at UFC 225 in 2018, though his loss to Jackson was later changed to a no contest after Jackson failed a drug test for marijuana. Despite Punk’s dedication to honoring his late coach Duke Rufus, he faced significant disadvantages. Given his limited MMA training and experience, it was expected that success inside the Octagon would be hard to achieve.
On Chef Donny’s podcast “What’s For Lunch,” Punk reflected on his UFC career, admitting he started MMA too late to truly succeed. He said, “I wish I had started earlier. That’s the only thing. I started too late, and I was getting older. It was like a bucket list thing, but I didn’t take it seriously. I trained on the days off, got in shape, did everything I could, but yeah, I started too late. This is a young man’s game.”
Dana White was particularly harsh on Punk’s second UFC opponent, Mike Jackson. After Jackson’s fight with Punk, White declared Jackson’s UFC career finished, especially since Mickie Gall had defeated Punk quickly. Despite this, Jackson fought twice more in the UFC, winning one match via disqualification but eventually losing by knockout.
Fan Take: CM Punk’s UFC story highlights the tough reality that MMA demands years of dedication and early commitment to compete at the highest level. For fight fans, his journey underscores both the allure and the brutal challenges of crossover athletes entering the sport, which could influence how promotions approach such stars in the future.
