WWE Latest News: Former Superstar CM Punk Officially Gets UFC Opponent, Meets Him Inside Cage
Former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar turned UFC fighter CM Punk finally gets an opponent for his UFC debut.
Punk (whose name is Phil Brooks in real life) was officially signed to the UFC roster in December 2014 during the pay-per-view broadcast of UFC 181. He was slated to make his Octagon debut in late 2015; however, a shoulder injury he sustained during training derailed all his plans.
While Punk was in the sidelines, the UFC finally decided to look for an opponent for the former WWE champion. Company president Dana White, along with former welterweight champion Matt Serra, and childhood friend Nick "The Tooth" Gullo travelled to New Jersey, where they saw young fighter Mickey Gall in action. Gall, who held a 1-0 record, did emerge victorious that night.
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After his fight, he immediately went on to call out CM Punk, in front of the UFC president who was seated by the cage side area. White was impressed with Gall's performance and he did decide to heed the fighter's requests. However, the UFC president's stipulation was that Gall should win his UFC debut fight first before getting a fight with Punk.
On Saturday night, Gall was slated to face Mike "The Truth" Jackson during the undercard of UFC Fight Night 82. Once again, Gall was able to impress the crowd and UFC management by ending the fight within 45 seconds of the first round via submission (rear-naked choke).
Right after his post-fight interview with UFC broadcast panelist Jon Anik, Gall was met by Punk at the other end of the cage, alongside UFC matchmaker Joe Silva. For the first time since the announcement in December 2014, Punk finally gets an opponent, whom he actually had his first staredown with.
It can be seen through this short video.
During the post-fight interview with MMA Fighting, Gall is deadset on making a name for himself through a convincing victory over a "superstar" like CM Punk.
"I respect that dude, he's made himself a superstar," Gall said. "It's a big fight for me. I get to beat up a superstar, that's what I'm gonna do."
As of this posting, the fight date between Punk and Gall has yet to be determined.
