When CM Punk looks back on the surreal moments he fought in the UFC, he feels a mixture of satisfaction and bewilderment.
Punk, a former WWE champion and professional wrestling star, made his Octagon debut in 2016 with no MMA experience. Punk began training in early 2015 with Duke Rufus, who has coached former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and top welterweight contender Belal Muhammad, among others.
Punk's brief stint in the UFC didn't go well, with a quick submission loss to Mickie Gall and then a lackluster unanimous decision loss to Mike Jackson, although Jackson later tested positive for marijuana. It was overturned by his appearance, but he's happy he got the chance.
“I asked my wife the other day, and I said something and she was like, 'Oh yeah, what was I like at 35 when we were fighting?'” she said. I was like, 'No, you were like 36 or 37,'” Punk said on “The MMA Hour.” “And I was like, 'What the hell was I thinking?'” I'm glad I did it. Zero regrets. He shouldn't have fought in Chicago. It was the worst two weeks of my life. It was without a doubt the worst two weeks of my life. Although I could not lose weight correctly, I still gained weight.
“I'm proud of that. But yeah, I'm ambitious. …But I get it, 'LOL' seems like an easy thing to make fun of.” you know what i mean? Some people look at that and think, “Oh, that's embarrassing.'' I'm the worst. I lifted weights and successfully walked. I'm 100 percent proud of myself. And I would like to do it again. Because that was the worst time for me and I did it. I'm tenacious. Otherwise it will be tough. If you want to call me a loser, that's cool. But I was happy to get that opportunity and I was happy to accomplish it. ”
Punk was 37 when he fought Gall and 39 when he fought Jackson at UFC 225 in his hometown of Chicago. Going into his match with Jackson, Punk found himself in court in the middle of a defamation lawsuit brought against him and professional wrestler Colt Cabana by a WWE doctor. He filed a lawsuit against Jackson and pleaded not guilty just days before winning.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
