MMA: Former WWE Star CM Punk Pledges Return After UFC Debut Loss

The welterweight fight ended at 2:14 of the opening round, when Punk tapped to a rear-naked choke applied by 24-year-old Mickey Gall.

Despite the defeat, Punk maintained that he would give UFC another try, promising to return in the near future.

CM Punk’s UFC debut may have ended quickly, but he was certainly well compensated. “I’ve got to get back to the ride”. I’m a thinker. I saw the path and this is where I want to be. Gall took control of Punk from the start, pounding away at his head and put him into submission holds.

Punk went right at opponent Mickey Gall from the get go, but this uneducated aggression left him open to a takedown.

Several fighters have already made the transition from the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where matches are choreographed, to the more real, some would say brutal, world of Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC).

If the UFC doesn’t bring Punk back, it will be interesting to see what happens next. The question is, where does Punk go from here?

“I said I would keep this belt for a long time and I did it”. I just fell of a bike. That’s why I’m excited to get going now.

“I had back surgery for this”. I lost and it sucks and it was lopsided and it’s upsetting. “I said “we’re fighting tomorrow, you know what’s going to happen, I’m going to hurt you” and then he kept staring at me as I walked off, I said “keep looking at me”. “I’m supremely disappointed. I wanted to win”.

Gall stated in the post-fight conference that he still hand plenty to prove before he can declare himself a legitimate contender, adding that even though he won impressively, he defeated a guy who was supposed to be an amateur.

Correction: A prior version of this post incorrectly said that Punk was talking to Dana White in his interview.

Still, his debut at the UFC has earned him the admiration and respect from many fighters and fans.