Coach: CM Punk’s UFC Debut Was ‘Blessing In Disguise’
CM Punk’s UFC debut, which took place at UFC 203 in September 2016, certainly didn’t go well.
Many criticized the UFC for signing the former WWE superstar due to the fact that he had never actually competed in an MMA fight, and the critics may have had a point, as Punk was ground-and-pounded and submitted in just a few minutes by Mickey Gall.
Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, however, feels as if that fight against Gall was a ‘blessing in disguise’:
“….I just think the first time you’re in the Octagon there’s something special you’ve got to deal with getting in there. We’ve really rebounded,” Roufus said on a recent edition of the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “When you lose a fight it’s a blessing in disguise because now the ‘0’ is gone. You don’t have to worry about being invincible. A lot of questions get answered.
“For Punk, this sounds really weird, but now he knows what a beating feels like,” Roufus continued. “A real beating. And I think it will help a lot of fighters to the point of [haunting] them, like ‘No, I don’t ever want to feel this way again.’ It’s not the physical. These guys are tough. It’s the mental anguish. You don’t want to feel that depressed, embarrassing feeling of getting beat up in front of God and everyone. It’s no fun.”
Not only does Roufus feel as if Punk has learned from his first fight, but he also indicated that Punk could be returning to the Octagon sometime soon:
“Dana and the matchmakers had their weekly matchmaking meeting [Wednesday], and you’re gonna hear some news soon I think,” Roufus said.
Are you interested in seeing Punk fight again?
