MMA Fantasy: What if CM Punk had succeeded in the UFC?
CM Punk famously crashed and burned in what was ultimately a futile attempt at transitioning from professional wrestling to mixed martial arts. When the UFC first announced its intention to sign him, many were divided, with the MMA fandom, in particular, expressing disgust.
Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, had neither a martial arts background nor any real fighting experience. He was merely a pro-wrestler parlaying his fame in sports entertainment and friendship with Dana White to get an opportunity that had eluded even Ben Askren at the time.
This rubbed fans the wrong way. That Punk failed, losing decisively in both his fights, was enough justification for fans to claim that they were right to dismiss it as a freak show.
However, in an alternate reality of some sort, Punk succeeded. Though what could such an improbable outcome have yielded?
What UFC success would have meant for CM Punk as a fighter
Fans and even the UFC were under no illusions about CM Punk's level as a fighter. He was inexperienced, a novice with nothing to inspire confidence in his abilities until he proved otherwise in the cage. Unfortunately, he did the exact opposite by losing his only two fights in lopsided fashion.
Nevertheless, he was matched up with two opponents who were very early on in their MMA careers. Mickey Gall was just 2-0, while Mike Jackson was 0-1, having previously lost to the former in his professional debut. Thus, neither man was ranked, or even close to being so, when they faced Punk.
Had Punk beaten Gall, it is likely he would have never faced Jackson at all. His ceiling would have been reevaluated, and he would have been matched up with someone more impressive. However, the UFC would have still exercised caution and attempted to feed him very winnable fights.
At some point, though, he would have faced the upper echelon of unranked welterweights. While this, at first glance, doesn't seem like much of a terrifying prospect, it is important to take note of the class of fighters who were unranked up-and-comers back in 2016.
Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards, Sean Strickland, and Colby Covington were all unranked 170-pounders back then. All four are either current or former champions, with three of them being titleholders at welterweight and one of them having reigned at middleweight.
Given that Punk had no outstanding athletic attributes, no crushing punching power to change the tide of a fight, he would have stood no chance against them. He would have beaten some unranked foes, but would have quickly found his stopping point before cracking the top 15.
What UFC success would have meant for CM Punk as a draw
CM Punk came into the UFC commanding significant fan attention. The former WWE Champion had people eager to watch his downfall. The more he'd win, the more MMA fans would tune in to watch his inevitable loss, to prove themselves right that he does not belong in the octagon.
However, a few wins would have drawn enough interest, whether good or bad, that the UFC would have been able to use him as a headline act for Fight Night events. He would become a marquee name, despite his unranked status. After all, he was the third-last fight on a pay-per-view for his UFC debut.
With wins on what would be an undefeated record, Punk would have been a Fight Night headliner, and at the very least, a co-main event on a pay-per-view. WWE fans would have tuned in as well, eager to watch how far Punk can go in the promotion.
Unfortunately, he would have never become a champion in the UFC. After his ceiling became clear, he would have been eventually cut from the UFC. Though with the success he'd have in this alternate timeline, a lesser promotion would have certainly tried to sign him and capitalize on his popularity.