What next for CM Punk: 5 Talking Points
CM Punk made his return to the Octagon this Sunday at the UFC 225 event in his hometown Illinois, Chicago. This is the first time he competed after making his debut at UFC 203 against Mickey Gall in September 2016.
Punk lost his second Professional MMA bout against Mike Jackson via a three-round unanimous decision, which was a much better accomplishment than his fight against Mickey Gall, which ended in the second minute of the very first round via a rear naked choke.
Experts say that Punks opponent Jackson is one of the least skilled fighters to ever have competed inside the octagon. Which speaks volumes about the former WWE superstar's skill level.
I mean, I’ll praise anyone who has the heart to train hard and put their life and reputation on the line to go into the octagon. That takes a serious commitment.
For a super rich celebrity, whose brand is built around the image of him as a badass, to do that? Endless props, Punk has some serious heart and fortitude.
There's no question that CM Punk has the mentality and toughness of a UFC fighter. He just started way too late to compete against lifelong martial arts practitioners.
This list aims to explore the next move in CM Punk's career by analyzing the following factors.
# How good was his opponent?
Mike Jackson's MMA record is virtually identical to that of Punks, the only opponent he faced before was Mickey Gall, who defeated him in the first round via submission. But this doesn't prove that he and Punk are on the same level.
Mike appeared very relaxed while outclassing Punk in every aspect of the game. It really was weird how he was just resting in Punk's guard doing nothing. He showed he could really hit him when he wanted.
The UFC commentator Joe Rogan jokingly put on his conspiracy theory during his commentary saying Mike was paid to carry Punk till the end. Can't blame Rogan for making these remarks, Mike just ran out the clock without any effort.
Mike Jackson has a history of competing in boxing and kickboxing prior to making a foray into MMA. He has competed as an amateur in MMA since 2008, fighting nine times. He has a 4-0 (4 KOs) record as a pro boxer and a 1-0 (1 KO) record as a pro kickboxer.
At 33 years of age, Mike is still in his physical prime and six years younger to Punk. He also possesses better knockout power than punk. Age and experience are cardinal factors in determining a fighters performance, and Mike clearly had upper hand here.
But wasn't CM Punk also training all this time? Then why did he look like a noob in the biggest fight of his life?