(Video) CM Punk’s First UFC Opponent Determined, Punk Meets Him After Tonight’s Fight

[Sunny]

 

– CM Punk was ringside for tonight’s UFC Fight Night 82 event as Mickey Gall quickly defeated Mike Jackson to earn the right to be Punk’s first UFC opponent later this year.

As seen below, Punk came into the Octagon to shake hands with Gall after the fight:

http://www.snappytv.com/tc/1353762/570764

Source: Twitter

[Auday]

So when's Punk's match? I feel like Punk is gonna actually kick some ass in ufc.

[fufu ÷]

I like how they're doing everything to pretend like Mickey Gail isn't some total chump fighter

[LegitATTIRES]

Hopefully he'll kick's Punk in the gut like Ryback did.

[Big Pete®]

C.M Pussy

[Steenalizer]

So when's Punk's match? I feel like Punk is gonna actually kick some ass in ufc.

Either at UFC 199 or 200. He'll definitely kick some ass, it's just a matter of whether he actually wins his first bout.

[DrJoeyMagnum]

C.M Pussy

C.M Penis 

[Nate]

I thought he was supposed to fight sometime in 2015.

[Auday]

I thought he was supposed to fight sometime in 2015.

I think he got injured.

[Sunny]

[Ticaliano]

Congrats, Punk! You managed to stay on your feet for 5 WHOLE SECONDS! 

I said this guy would get eaten alive and that's exactly what happened. 

[BrotchMrToast]

So when's Punk's match? I feel like Punk is gonna actually kick some ass in ufc.

He'll definitely kick some ass, it's just a matter of whether he actually wins his first bout.

LMAO!

[Sunny]

Way to be classy.

I think the consensus out of all this shows the majority of wrestling fans in general aren't willing to show their support to a guy who despite all the odds riding against him, still showed up to the dance. Whereas, people in the Mixed Martial Arts community gave him a nod for his uplifting off the cuff thirty second improv afterwards. Granted, they aren't used to the same, shenigans filled cynic Punk we are used to and they probably won't get someone gracing the octagon that is as eloquent as Punk in a long time, but tonight is proving just how bad a taste he did leave in everyone's mouths by leaving that they wouldn't look past a guy not willing to risk his well-being and going out on a limb to disprove critics. 

Sure, someone like a Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, or Pacman Jones got shat on hard. But, Stephen Amell got the benefit of the doubt when he transitioned and those who saw it acknowledged him for it. And you know what? MMA fans tipped their hats off to Punk. Cleveland certainly served as the measuring stick for just that by being silent during his speech when they were disrespectful the whole night. A moral victory in hostile territory is deserving enough for a pat on the back.

He got his ass handed to him but still had the fortitude to speak words of encouragement for those that might need it and didn't give a lick of mention about himself.

(Go back and watch Overeem's post-fight interview to get a better perspective for this).

Sure, tonight was a weird card with topsy-turvy finishes, but if I were to look back on it, it also serves as a reminder why wrestling fans were marks to begin with by failing to recognize the bigger picture.

[Trap Master]

Well as an guy who watches all the UFC's I could say Punk earned a lot of respect from me. He dropped his arrogance and straight without denying said to us that he got his ass kicked without any excuses. Gall is 13 years younger, he's shining now. Hope Punk goes for another match against an opponent that he can take on. I'm a big fan of Punk but I placed my 20 euros on Gall. The fight was already determined.

[Steenalizer]

So when's Punk's match? I feel like Punk is gonna actually kick some ass in ufc.

He'll definitely kick some ass, it's just a matter of whether he actually wins his first bout.

LMAO!

To quote what the Great Geoff once said: "lol".

Anyways, Brock also lost his first UFC fight and ended up becoming their Heavyweight Champion. Don't count Punk out just yet. If he loses his next fight he's definitely done though.

[Auday]

Judging from today's fight, his place is home next to Aj. I honestly thought he would do better. The way he ran towards Gall was just foolish.

[BrotchMrToast]

Way to be classy.

I think the consensus out of all this shows the majority of wrestling fans in general aren't willing to show their support to a guy who despite all the odds riding against him, still showed up to the dance. Whereas, people in the Mixed Martial Arts community gave him a nod for his uplifting off the cuff thirty second improv afterwards. Granted, they aren't used to the same, shenigans filled cynic Punk we are used to and they probably won't get someone gracing the octagon that is as eloquent as Punk in a long time, but tonight is proving just how bad a taste he did leave in everyone's mouths by leaving that they wouldn't look past a guy not willing to risk his well-being and going out on a limb to disprove critics. 

Sure, someone like a Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, or Pacman Jones got shat on hard. But, Stephen Amell got the benefit of the doubt when he transitioned and those who saw it acknowledged him for it. And you know what? MMA fans tipped their hats off to Punk. Cleveland certainly served as the measuring stick for just that by being silent during his speech when they were disrespectful the whole night. A moral victory in hostile territory is deserving enough for a pat on the back.

Hidden Content

Sure, tonight was a weird card with topsy-turvy finishes, but if I were to look back on it, it also serves as a reminder why wrestling fans were marks to begin with by failing to recognize the bigger picture.

CM Punk is undoubtedly a very smart guy, that's a thing I just have to acknowledge wether I like him or not (and I don't). That being said, I just view his post-match interview as a way to sway the attention away from his poor effort in that match.

With that being said, Punk handled himself in a very classy manner throughout his UFC career. He never, to my knowledge, bad-mouthed his opponent or anything like that. As I've said, he's a smart guy, he probably knew that there is a very high chance that the match might end the way it did. After all, he's old af and had barely any mma background, bar the two years of training he had leading up to this fight. Most of the UFC Fighters were involved in some sort of mixed martial art from their childhood on. Heck, even Lesnar was a bona-fide amateur wrestler as an adolescent, and I imagine that his UFC training kind of went from there.

I can not hold anything Punk has done during his time in the UFC against him even if I wanted to, however I will always dislike him as an athlete for his unprofessional behavior during his later years in the WWE and even after his departure. I'm not gonna go into detail here but I could go ahead and pick apart singular things he said in regards of the WWE and explain why it should have better been left unmentioned.

My "classy" comment was more directed at all of his fans who were oblivious enough to believe that he actually ever had a chance. I'm not just talking about Steenalizer and Audey in particular here, but more just in general, as their comments pretty much reflected what most of his hardcore fans were thinking at the time.

Lastly, believe me, I would've loved to eat my own words for the sake of a man overcoming the odds and shutting his haters up. Heck, truth be told, I was even a little disappointed seeing the outcome of the match. But that just wasn't gonna happen.

[fufu ÷]

Punk fought a nobody and lost in spectacular fashion and got paid handsomely for it. You give me a million dollars i'll go in there with Brock Lesnar after trash talking, then give you an uplifting interview afterwards - doesn't neglect the fact I got my ass kicked after talking a big game. Punk didn't just lose, he was embarrassed - and he deserves to be roasted for that.

[BrotchMrToast]

Mickey gall might be a nobody marketing wise, but that doesn't change the fact that he always was a pretty tough opponent for someone like Punk. I mean, after all, he has yet too lose, is way younger than Punk and yet has much more experience in mixed martial arts.

I'm not defending Punk, I'm just saying that he never stood a chance to begin with. Now, that statement could have been considered wrong by some if Punk would have put up even a little bit of a fight...which he didn't.

Besides, this was a lose-lose situation for him. Even if, miraculously,he somehow would've managed to get the win, people like fufu would have still taken credit away from him simply because of the lack of the weight that Mickey Gall's name carries.

[HiPcavallo]

Fact is Punk had no right being in UFC in the first place. I respect him for giving MMA a shot despite how little chance he had of actually succeeding in the sport, and I don't blame him for taking advantage of the opportunity that was given to him. That being said UFC is meant to be the elite brand in MMA, where the best of the best go to compete, if Punk wasn't able to hang with the existing roster then he shouldn't have been there period. The fact they had to sign a nobody like Mickey Gall to give him an opponent he had a better chance of beating only emphasizes that point. Shit like this only devalues the sport, and Punk's signing was quite possibly the most shameful thing the UFC has ever done. If Punk had won and people like fufu took credit away from him due to the lack of weight that Mickey Gall's name carries then quite frankly I wouldn't blame them, neither of them should've been competing for the UFC in the first place, especially in such a high profile fight.

For the record I'm saying this as a huge fan of Punk's, unlike most people I never turned on him for leaving WWE the way he did, and he's still my second favorite wrestler of all time.

[fufu ÷]

If he'd shown credible skill and ability, I could have given him a bit of credit regardless of the opponent. That said, he didn't block even one transition that Gall attempted, which for a guy who talks up his BJJ training is very poor. He really shouldn't have started in the UFC. Like Brock did and like Lashley has done, he should have started lower down the pecking order and built up. I think if he was genuinely serious about MMA rather than the money and his brand, he'd have started from the bottom.

[Steenalizer]

If you want to be an MMA fighter and Dana White offers you an opportunity to compete in UFC you would be crazy to say no. Punk himself has said several times that he would have started at the very bottom if UFC hadn't been an option.

I'd have to disagree with you about it being a lose-lose situation though Brotch. Dana White wins by lining his pockets with the money he made from WWE fans who bought the event. Mickey Gall won by making a name for himself in UFC. Punk wins by getting to live his dream of fighting professionally and his haters win by watching him get humiliated.

The only people who lost are the ones still complaining.

[BrotchMrToast]

Punk's signing was shameful on the UFC's part, but you can't blame Punk for accepting that offer.

Look guys, I agree with everything else you say. All I'm saying is that the end result shouldn't come as even a little bit of a surprise.

As for the lose-lose situation, from the perspective I've covered it was a lose-lose situation. That's not to say that Cm Punks signing was a complete failure on all accounts.

[Sunny]

I spoke too soon.

[HiPcavallo]

Punk's signing was shameful on the UFC's part, but you can't blame Punk for accepting that offer.

Look guys, I agree with everything else you say. All I'm saying is that the end result shouldn't come as even a little bit of a surprise.

As for the lose-lose situation, from the perspective I've covered it was a lose-lose situation. That's not to say that Cm Punks signing was a complete failure on all accounts.

Like I said I don't blame him for taking advantage of the opportunity that was given to him, I would've done the same thing if I was in his shoes. I blame Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and anyone else who may have been involved for giving him that opportunity.