CM Punk’s Targeted UFC Debut Date Released

It’s been nearly two-years since former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar and champion CM Punk signed with the UFC, and his long awaited Octagon debut may be upon us sooner than you think.

According to MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani via Twitter, UFC officials have targeted the former professional wrestler’s mixed martial arts (MMA) debut for UFC 203 in Cleveland. The deal, however, is ‘far from done’ according to Helwani:

Current plan at the moment is CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall at UFC 203, per sources. Far from a done deal but that's the direction as of this AM.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) June 21, 2016

Punk is expected to take on Mickey Gall, a highly touted prospect from UFC President Dana White‘s ‘Looking For A Fight’, who is currently 2-0 in his professional MMA career after downing Mike Jackson in the first round at UFC Fight Night 82 in February via rear-naked choke.

The 37-year-old Punk recently underwent back surgery, which put his UFC debut on hold, due to a herniated disk which most likely stemmed from his grueling history inside the squared circle at WWE.

Now it appears Punk is all set to make his Octagon debut against a very impressive young talent in Gall, at August’s UFC 202 in Cleveland, Ohio.

How do you think Punk will fare against Gall inside the Octagon? Will his doubters finally be silenced, or will his young MMA career come to an abrupt halt?

UFC 202 will be live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 20, 2016.