Mixed Martial Arts Forum banner

CM Punk Debut Delayed

2K views 22 replies 19 participants last post by  Trix 
#1 ·
CM Punk's UFC debut has been delayed.

The former WWE champion turned MMA fighter is scheduled to undergo back surgery in Chicago on Wednesday due to a herniated disc, MMAFighting.com has learned.

Punk, née Phil Brooks, has been battling a lingering back injury from his years as a professional wrestler. Recently, the injury worsened.

"My back has always bugged me," Punk told MMAFighting.com. "Figured it was just wrestling sh*t. Turns out it was.

"It got bad enough to the point where I couldn't do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn't. I've been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy ... nothing worked."

On Saturday, Punk learned that he would be facing 24-year-old Mickey Gall in his debut after Gall defeated fellow UFC newcomer Mike Jackson via first-round rear-naked choke. Coincidentally for Punk, he was advised by his doctor right before the fight that he needed surgery, but Punk decided to keep that news for himself.

Punk announced that he had signed with the UFC in Dec. 2014. A shoulder injury this summer delayed his debut, but the UFC had recently announced that the plan was for him to make his highly-anticipated Octagon debut this summer. While those plans will change now, Punk's recovery post-surgery is expected to be four-to-six weeks so his intention is still to fight at least once in 2016. Punk noted his injury and surgery is very similar to the one former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez underwent last week.

"This is just a bump in the road," he said. "I'm positive about this."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/2/1...o-back-surgery-on-wednesday-ufc-debut-delayed
Punks debut has been delayed once again - this time due to back surgery. This is getting ridiculous. Is he ever going to actually fight?
 
#8 ·
Definitely not. The guy doesn't need MMA. He doesn't need to go out there and put his body through hell for this. He could return to the WWE tomorrow and be the second top guy on the roster (if Bryan has retired and after Brock). The guy is that big over there, but he decided to leave and pursue this hellish career with no background in it. You don't do that for publicity.

I'm pretty gutted about it being delayed. This was the right time. Gall wanted the fight, won his debut easily and he earned this shot...kind of. People will insult it but Bellator has guys at like 1-2 on the prelims so what's up with 2-0 Vs 0-0 in UFC if it's a special occasion?

Now, my interest will fade heavily in the fight with it being delayed. He had the right amount of time to train and now this takes mhy attention away.

I have a feeling his body is going to be too beat up to fight which will annoy the shit out of me cause so many arseholes have said "It was publicity, he doesn't intend on fighting" to which I reply "But how does that help anyone if he never fights?" and they reply "Cause we're talking about it right now" and again I still have no idea what exactly the UFC generated from the announcement that CM Punk signed to the company if he never fought. They will act like they are right when their position, both knowing what generates money and knowing CM Punk, is stupid.
 
#15 ·
I know in terms of Pro Wrestling he's nowhere near the Kurt Angle kind of body breakdown, but we all know back injuries are a sumbitch, especially when you are in your later 30's and have a hungry kid in his 20's waiting for ya.

I hope he heals up and can be the best fighter he can be, I like him he seems like a cool guy.
 
#17 ·
That's more of an age thing though. CM Punk is more broken down than the majority of the wrestlers around his standing. There are plenty of guys, AJ Styles for example, who I could see making a transition like this and I could say "Okay, he's old enough but he's a very athletic guy and with an expert team around him, he could make a decent start". But CM Punk imo is just a bit too worn down at this stage.

@AmdM, once again, what's the point of CM Punk doing MMA if he'd be scared of Mickey Gall? The guy is already loaded. He doesn't have a single financial benefit of this affair. Hell, the entire thing seems tailor made to lower his stock as a WWE return would look bad with him coming off a high profile loss. It's ALL because he wants to do it, so guys like you are just spouting off like he's scared to fight when the only reason he's fighting is cause he WANTS to fight.
 
#20 ·
They should have focused on their own career. Guys like John McGuire post bitter things about Sage on twitter as if he didn't get his ass slung out for not being good enough. CM Punk will never be the UFC champion. Nor would James Toney. Just cause the UFC pays CM Punk or James Toney a lot of money to fight doesn't mean they are in the same bracket as other fighters. And that's not even including the ticket sale different between CM Punk and that 3-3 in the UFC guy getting cut after a loss.

It's like a fighter being pissed off that the UFC are hiring and paying a new executive or something. CM Punk may be getting into the cage and fighting in the UFC, but everyone knows there is a difference between CM Punk and a "UFC fighter".
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top