CM Punk attended UFC 298 this past weekend and reflected on his own history with the MMA promotion. As you may recall, Punk lost his first pro-MMA fight at UFC 203 in 2016 when he tapped out to Mickey Gall via first-round submission.
His second bout took place two years later at UFC 225, though Punk once again lost (this time by decision).
However, in 2021, Jackson's win at UFC 225 has been overturned and ruled a "No Contest." The change comes as a result of Jackson testing positive for marijuana on fight night, and while it's unclear why this was never made public, he did reportedly receive a three-month suspension.
The event took place in Chicago, and Illinois has a strict marijuana policy that Jackson clearly failed to adhere to. This likely won't have made much of a different to Punk, but he put up a much better fight in this second bout than the first one (where he was made short work of by Gall).
Asked about his WWE return, Punk mentioned the time he spent in the UFC and confirmed he has no regrets about the diversion that took him on before returning to pro wrestling (first in AEW and then WWE as of last November).
"Time. I think time is everything. Saying never, you learn real fast, it's not just this business or the wrestling business, or any business. It's life. You never say never. Who ever thought I would fight in the UFC?"
"I was afforded an opportunity by Lorenzo [Fertitta] and Dana [White] and I would be kicking myself to this day if I said ‘no’. I’m not a guy that lives with regret, like I will seize opportunities whether someone on the internet thinks I deserve them or not. I work hard for my dreams, and I will always chase them."
"I think a lot of clouds parted, and time heals all wounds, so when it came back to wrestling, it was just the right time."
Punk is currently injured after tearing his tricep at the Royal Rumble PLE; recently, he revealed that he'll be sidelined for "maybe six to eight months," and added, "I'm not really in a rush to get back to compete. I'm in a rush to get healthy. I'm in a rush to get better. And the sooner I do that, the better. I'll be when I come back."
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