Poor old CM Punk can't catch a break.
When CM Punk signed with the UFC, he had it all to prove. The move was universally written off as a complete joke by MMA fans who saw it as a shameless cash-grab by the UFC that undermined the integrity of the sport.
These fears were soon realised when the promotion recruited Mike Jackson, a photographer by trade, to make his professional MMA debut against Mickey Gall, the young prospect they had brought in specifically to welcome Punk to the Octagon.
With very little training and zero combat experience outside the training room under his belt, the stage was set for Punk to prove all the doubters wrong. All he had to do was show something, anything in his debut in order to somewhat justify his $500,000 purse.
Unfortunately, he did no such thing. The bout turned out exactly as everyone expected it to with the hungry prospect breezing past the old professional wrestler to score a dominant first-round finish.
Punk has had no follow-up fight booked since then, nor does it look like he will ever set foot inside the Octagon again. However, he still trains and is actively looking for a sophomore bout.
He was in attendance at UFC 218 to support his teammate Paul Felder and although his appearance was supposed to be a low-key affair, his backstage mishap involving a fold-up chair soon swept the internet. To his credit, he apparently handled it with as much dignity and grace as can be expected in a very undignified, ungraceful situation.
https://twitter.com/MikeBohnMMA/status/937161824641912832
https://twitter.com/DamonMartin/status/937162083325628416
https://twitter.com/ekc/status/937162397604818944
