The UFC debut of Phil Brooks — better known as CM Punk, or “that guy who totally didn’t wrestle The Undertaker ever” — has been a subject of speculation since he announced his switch from pro wrestling to MMA. While he and his Roufusport trainers were initially said to be aiming for around the fall of 2015, then a spring 2016 debut, Punk was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Lucky for him, it was during an actual scramble, and he didn’t pull a Randy Orton and hurt himself mopping the gym floors.
Now, with his debut still marked down as a series of giant bold question marks, UFC’s Dana White is giving his best estimate. Here’s what he had to say during a Q&A session for UFC 193:
He’ll fight — I’m going to say before summer. Probably before summer. Listen, he doesn’t have any fights yet, man. Let him take his time and work his way in.
This is leaving many to speculate that they’re now aiming to let him make his debut during UFC 200, scheduled for Saturday, July 2, 2016 at the Las Vegas Arena. This is, of course, completely unconfirmed, but it fits with the rough timelines given by both White and trainer Duke Roufus. Punk’s still got a lot of training and recovery to do if he wants to make his first fight a successful one, so we’ll see how this shakes out. Just… maybe be careful when doing those chores, bro. Just in case.
