UFC 203 Aftermath: The Two Sides of CM Punk's Debut
CM Punk finally made his UFC debut on Saturday night. But has he hurt his case to continue fighting despite inspiring so many of his fans?
After more than a year of waiting, CM Punk made his debut at UFC 203 where he was soundly defeated by Mickey Gall. Phil Brooks, AKA CM Punk, was submitted within the first round but there are differing opinions on what we learned from his debut.
The lead-up to the fight easily was the biggest story coming into UFC 203 despite the fact that the heavyweight title was on the line the same night.
FOX Sports 1 aired the documentary The Evolution of Punk, telling the story of his training and transition from the pro wrestling world. Throughout the lead-up, Punk spoke constantly that entering the Octagon was his dream.
In response to his naysayers, he said simply that his intention was to inspire anyone who was being told that they couldn’t do something, regardless of the outcome of his fight. If his intention was to prove that he could finally get in the cage and fight, then he was successful on all accounts. Those fans who would supported from the WWE were indeed proud of him stepping up to his challenge.
Now, in regards to the reality following his UFC debut: Was the outcome the best for all parties involved?
In his post-fight interview, Punk’s head was visibly peppered with growing welts as he spoke to Joe Rogan. The sight was all the more gruesome considering that the fight did not go a full five minutes.
Competitively, Punk was steamrolled by a fighter who had little professional experience but had been training longer and was far younger.
The UFC roster does not get much more inexperienced, on paper at least, than Micky Gall. Finding him another young challenger with a similar record does not look to change the result with the skill level Punk demonstrated on Saturday night.
If he were to fight again, an older opponent with the same level of relative experience would be more favorable for Punk to demonstrate his growing skill-set. If he does not get such an opponent, will the fans be as supportive of him getting in the cage to possibly face a similar result as his debut?
Punk said before the fight that he saw similarities between himself and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow now attempting to play pro baseball. The truth is, they are worlds different. The physical risks of playing baseball when you’re a 29-year-old athlete is different from fighting professional MMA at 37.
Seeing CM Punk be dominated in one-sided fashion, showing visible damage after the fact, is not what fans of mixed martial arts need. Certainly, it is not what his enormous fan base wants to see.
He said he was bringing more eyes to the sport. However, those eyes were expecting to see him compete, not be fed to the lions.
In his UFC debut, CM Punk silenced the critics who said he would never make it to his first professional fight. He also brought a different fan-base to the sport to watch him compete. But now that the mystique of his debut has been lifted, the luster of his UFC career may likely have taken a bigger hit than he did.
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