Former WWE superstar Phil Brooks, more commonly known as CM Punk may finally have a date for his UFC debut. According to the latest rumors, CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall is scheduled to take place on August 20 as part of the UFC 202 card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II.
Brooks shocked the world when he signed a contract with the UFC in December 2014, ten months after walking out the WWE because of his unhappiness with the direction of his career in the company. He followed the footsteps of Brock Lesnar, who is the first athlete to win the WWE and UFC heavyweight championship.
Unlike Lesnar, who was an All-American wrestler from the University of Minnesota, Punk had no athletic background besides being a professional wrestler. Nonetheless, the UFC saw an opportunity to make money off another former WWE superstar but the Punk hype train has already stopped even before it started.
The 37-year-old had a lot of problems during his training at the Roufousport MMA Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He injured his shoulder last year and then he underwent surgery to repair a slipped disc in February.
Punk was already scheduled to face Gall when he suffered the back injury. Wrestling Inc. then reported that he was not progressing well as a mixed martial arts fighter and there were many who believed that he may never fight inside the Octagon.
However, it looks like his debut may finally be happening on August 20 at UFC 202. Jeremy Botter of FloSports took to Twitter to report that Punk vs. Gall is being planned to be part of the McGregor-Diaz II undercard.
According to What Culture, the UFC will air a documentary film on FOX Sports 1 as part of Punk's debut. The production team has already filmed both fighters during their training and it is slated to be released in August.
There is still no official announcement from the UFC regarding Punk's debut but it is safe to say to it will not be for long. It is a great strategy for the UFC to put the former WWE superstar on the same card as McGregor, as it is guaranteed to generate a lot of buzz and money.
Check out the video below for Punk's training under former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.