CM Punk smiles at the cameras while posing with his WWE championship belt. (Photo : Getty Images/Jason Merritt)
Former WWE champion Phil Brooks or more commonly known as CM Punk signed with the UFC in December 2014 but he has not fought inside the Octagon. However, it seems like Punk will finally be making his debut in "late summer" against Mickey Gall.
After walking out of the biggest wrestling company in the world in January 2014, Punk shocked the world by announcing at UFC 191 that he agreed to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter. He started training under Duke Roufous at the Roufousport MMA Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
However, the 37-year-old encountered a lot of setbacks during training like an injured shoulder and a slipped disc. It was also rumored in the past couple of weeks that Punk is not progressing well as an MMA fighter and may never step foot inside the Octagon ever, Wrestling Inc reported.
It is noted that the former WWE superstar is doing good in his sparring sessions but many experts believe that he will not last in his first fight. Punk was scheduled to make his debut at UFC 199 against Gall, but he underwent emergency surgery to repair a ruptured disc in his back.
There were also signs that the UFC has removed the spotlight on Punk but his future opponent recently revealed on Instagram that he is being filmed by a production crew. Gall added that he heard rumors that he will finally face the Chicago native sometime later in the summer.
A video posted by Mickey Gall (@mickeygall) on May 23, 2016 at 3:17pm PDT
The 24-year-old UFC prospect was discovered by Dana White on his YouTube show. He already made his Octagon debut in February 2016 at UFC Fight Night 82. He was victorious against Mike Jackson via submission using a rear-naked choke in the first round.
Nonetheless, there is still no official date for Punk vs. Gall showdown. It could possibly be a late August or early September date. In previous interviews, Punk has expressed his interest in fighting at UFC 205 in New York City.
"In my mind, that card at the (Madison Square) Garden would be a nice second fight. But, I don't know how realistic that is because, again, I don't want to say things people are going to take to heart," Punk told The MMA Hour.
Check out the video below for a faceoff between Punk and Gall in February 2016.
