Regardless of the overwhelming inexperience shared by both fighters, CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson remains one of the biggest of the year.
The two will meet at UFC 225 on June 9 live pay-per-view (PPV) from Chicago, Illinois, in what will be Punk’s second career professional fight. It will also be Jackson’s second career cage appearance, but majority of casual fight fans will tune in to see the former WWE superstar take one last shot at MMA glory.
The overall anticipation of this bout is alarming, which is why UFC is putting it on the PPV main card next month in Chicago. With grand exposure at his fingertips, Jackson is looking to milk the situation for everything that it’s worth.
“I mean, [Punk] brought in half a mil his first fight, I would assume he’s gonna do the same for this one,” Jackson told BJPenn.com’s Jason Kindschy earlier this week. “But for me, obviously, I don’t want to fight for like chump change.”
Remember, Punk’s debut came against Mickey Gall in a first-round submission loss at UFC 203 back in 2016. The wrestler-turned-welterweight walked away with a reported $500,000 for his near-two minute defeat, while Gall made just $30,000 after the win and win bonus.
While $30,000 is a nice payday for anyone, especially a fighter like Jackson who has only competed once inside the famed Octagon before, “The Truth” is hoping to land an even larger paycheck.
“I made some quite good money doing what I did [in the past],” Jackson explained. “I did like some bare-knuckle fighting a few years back, I got paid very well for that. This is gonna be a large payday for me, and I understand what it is.”
If Jackson captures victory he will hand Punk his second-straight loss and essentially give the former WWE champion his final pink slip to leave professional MMA alone. In addition, a victory for Jackson will turn the spotlight on him and allow him to potentially land another highly-marketable matchup.
“Again, I’m a slow cooker,” Jackson said. “And so I’m looking forward to what this opportunity presents following the fight. That’s what’s most important for me.”
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