It’s safe to say that the mixed martial arts (MMA) debut of Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, did not go as planned. While few people believed that Punk’s first professional bout opposite Mickey Gall at UFC 203 this past September would go down without a hitch, fight fans were hoping for more out of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar. Punk lasted just over two minutes before getting beaten down and submitted by Gall via rear-naked choke.
Despite the fairly awful Octagon showing, Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, still believes that the 38-year-old will get another chance to compete under Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rule. In fact, Roufus states that Punk is already in discussion with UFC president Dana White to reenter the cage sometime in the near future.
“Yeah, definitely, I believe he and Dana are talking,” said Roufus in a recent interview with MMA Fighting. “I just talked to Punk on Monday before that, and things are looking hopeful. I can’t say yes or no, but they’re looking hopeful. We’re going to see. Dana’s always got a good recipe of what he’s going to create, and what’s best for the sport, and what’s best for Punk and everyone else.”
While Punk didn’t last long against Gall in his pro debut, that hasn’t stopped the former WWE champion from getting back in the gym and working towards a higher level of fighting.
“It’s great, personalities drive this sport,” added Roufus. “He’s going to get better. Obviously, he didn’t perform the way we wanted to perform. We had some things he was doing really well with, he just didn’t happen. It’s just going to take time. But the great thing is he has an incredible attitude, and he’s very thankful for the opportunities. He’s getting better, he’s back in training and right after this fight I’ll picking up big time with him.”
With a slew of UFC standouts training alongside of him, such as current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, it may only be a matter of time before Punk turns it on and begins to do damage inside of the cage. It’s up to White and company to determine if Punk deserves another crack at the Octagon in his second fight or is better suited for Bellator MMA.