Just a couple of weeks ago, UFC president Dana White appeared on the UFC Unfiltered podcast , where he told hosts Matt Serra and Jim Norton that he was open to the possibility of former WWE star CM Punk fighting again in the UFC, even though it’s clear that he doesn’t belong in the world’s top mixed martial arts organization.
“So what I told [CM Punk] to do is go home, spend some time with your wife, be normal for a little while, and we’ll get on the phone and talk. Obviously we haven’t talked yet, but we will, we’ll see what’s next.”
Shortly after the UFC president said that he was open to using CM Punk again, Mike Jackson — who you’ll remember as the guy who Mickey Gall crushed back in February — said that he wants to be the ex-pro wrestler’s second UFC opponent , and there was even a small bit of interest in seeing the two men go at it. But, at least for right now, it seems like Dana White has flip-flopped, and that CM Punk won’t get another shot in the UFC.
In 10 minutes UFC President @DanaWhite joins @DC_MMA @KennyFlorian @KarynBryant on UFC Tonight on @FS1 ! pic.twitter.com/HbJuZ79C3E
— UFC Tonight (@UFCTonight) October 12, 2016
Earlier this week, the UFC president appeared on Fox’s UFC Tonight , where he announced that Ronda Rousey would make her long-awaited return to the Octagon in December. Hosts Kenny Florian and Daniel Cormier also asked White about CM Punk’s future, and the UFC president made it pretty clear that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion probably won’t return to the Octagon anytime soon.
“Is CM Punk going to be a guy who is going to stay in the UFC and continue to fight? Probably not. But he wanted to try it. I like the guy. I respect the guy. He wanted to fight in the UFC. He wanted to do it. He trained for two years, and he did it.”
As of this writing, the UFC still hasn’t officially cut CM Punk fro their organization. But, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before they do.
If Punk does end up getting cut from the UFC, he has plenty of other options if he wants to continue his mixed martial arts career, with Bellator being the most obvious one.
Former WWE star Alberto Del Rio, who worked with Punk several times during his run in WWE, was recently made the president of the Combate Americas promotion, and he said that he’d love to have Punk’s next fight be in his promotion.
“I would love to have him fight for this organization or any fighter with talent. They are welcomed to come and fight. They have my number and I’ll give them a job.”
If Punk is looking to make the most money possible, then he’ll probably end up signing with Bellator, where he’ll probably end up fighting Mike Jackson, who, as previously mentioned, wants to be the ex-WWE star’s next opponent.
Ryback in talks with Bellator MMA https://t.co/Okj8ebx0vQ pic.twitter.com/nkk63pzG2x
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) September 27, 2016
Bellator is also interested in signing Ryan Reeves , better known as former WWE star Ryback. It’s pretty well-known that Reeves and Punk don’t like each other, and Bellator does enjoy doing freakshow fights, so there’s a chance — albeit a small one — that we could see Punk vs. Ryback in the Bellator cage.
If Bellator does sign Punk, they may wait to have him fight until their January card, which will feature Chael Sonnen’s debut against Tito Ortiz . It’ll already be a big show, and if they add Punk to the card, it’ll be an even bigger show, regardless of who his opponent is.
Punk is still training at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, so it’s pretty clear that he intends to keep fighting, even if the UFC cuts him.
[Featured Image by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images ]