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CM Punk Insists He Has 'Zero Regrets' About UFC Venture: 'It's Easy To Make Fun Of Me...'

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 4/2/24

While he may have suffered two convincing defeats inside the UFC Octagon, CM Punk doesn't see his decision to test the MMA waters as a mistake.

Having made his name as a professional wrestler, Punk had a far from amicable split with the WWE in 2014. He subsequently decided to become the latest athlete from the world of sports entertainment to try their hand inside the cage.

His UFC signing was confirmed in December of that year, with Punk training under the guidance of renowned coach Duke Roufus at the Roufusport MMA Academy.

After an injury postponed his debut date, Punk entered the Octagon for the first time at UFC 203 in September 2016, where he met Mickey Gall. After an ill-advised charge right from the get-go, Punk was immediately taken down and ultimately submitted by way of rear-naked choke in just over two minutes.

Punk returned for his sophomore fight almost two years later, sharing the cage with Mike Jackson at UFC 225 in his home city of Chicago. On that occasion, the 45-year-old made it to the final horn but convincingly fell short on the scorecards.

That turned out to be all she wrote for Punk's MMA career.

CM Punk 'Proud' Of Making Weight, Competing In MMA

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Punk acknowledged that he wasn't well-placed to succeed in his Octagon outings.

In the lead-up to his second bout, Punk was in the midst of a legal battle after being sued by former friend and fellow pro wrestler Colt Cabana. The pair were both sued in 2014 by a WWE doctor owing to allegations Punk made on Cabana's podcast. Cabana's suit against Punk derived from claims that the then-former WWE star had agreed to pay his legal fees.

Nevertheless, while some may choose to mock Punk's unsuccessful and brief stint as a mixed martial artist, the 45-year-old professional wrestler has no regrets about attempting the sport, and walked away from it "proud."

"I asked my wife the other day, because I said something, I was just like, 'What was I, 35 when I fought?' And she was just like, 'Oh no, you were 36 or 37.' I just went, 'What the f**k was I thinking?' I'm glad I did it," Punk said. "Zero regrets. I shouldn't have fought in Chicago because it was like, the worst two weeks of my life — easily the worst two weeks of my life. I couldn't cut weight properly. I still made weight, and I'm proud of myself for that.

"I'm an ambitious guy," Punk continued. "I get it, it's easy to L.O.L, make fun of me, you know what I mean? Some people look at that and are like, 'It's embarrassing.' I f**king made the weight, I made the walk. I'm 100 percent proud of myself, and I would do it again. That was me at my absolute worse, and I did it."

Since his UFC departure, Punk has made his way back to the realm of sports entertainment, first making his comeback under the AEW banner before returning to the WWE late last year.

He's currently on the sidelines after suffering a torn right triceps at the Royal Rumble event this past January.

This article first appeared on MMA News and was syndicated with permission.

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