Welp, it’s over. After two years of speculation, the former WWE Champion CM Punk stepped into the octagon for the first time tonight at UFC 203, against a much younger, more experienced Mickey Gall, and… the “Second City Saint” tapped out to a rear naked choke in the first round.
The feeling in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland was white house, as Punk entered the octagon to his world-famous WWE theme song, “Cult of Personality”. He took a moment to soak in the crowd, with a large smile on his face, exclaiming “f*** yeah!” multiple times. Unfortunately for one of the most popular and controversial professional wrestlers of all time, Gall came out of the gate swinging, taking him to mat and deploying a rapid fire ground game. Punk was able to escape a choke, and showed some signs of defense on the ground, but ultimately submitted to the 24-year-old New Jersey native.
After the fight, Punk told the crowd that despite taking a beating, and all the criticism and doubters he has faced over the last two years, he will definitely be back in the octagon. He gave an inspiring speech about getting back up after being knocked down, and proclaimed that this night was the most fun he’s ever had, and the second best night of his life after marrying his wife, former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee.
