Before joining AEW, there had been some speculation that CM Punk may return to the world of MMA as he was still part of UFC’s anti-doping program. He had been tested six times in 2020, and a fight with Logan Paul was even suggested after the controversial YouTuber said he could beat Punk in a fight. Now though, MMAFighting.com has reported that Punk has told UFC management he has officially retired from the sport, having not fought since 2018.
Punk moved to Milwaukee at the age of 35 to begin training under Duke Roufus at Roufusport MMA Academy. After twenty months of training, which was interrupted by an injury, he stepped into the Octagon for the first time losing to Mickey Gall. Then a year and a half later, Punk would face 0-1 fighter Mike Jackson and lose via unanimous decision. However, it was later revealed via a Freedom of Information Act request that Punk’s record is not 0-2 as believed, but actually 0-1. This is because his fight against Jackson was overturned and was officially ruled a no contest. The reason for this is that on the night Jackson tested positive for an illegal substance.
Punk is now preparing to wrestle his first match in seven years when he faces Darby Allin at All Out on Sunday night, having made his return to pro-wrestling on their second-ever episode of AEW’s Rampage show. His appearance was watched by an average of 1.1 million viewers on TNT, which was a massive 52.6% increase from the previous week’s premiere episode. Additionally, in the key 18-49 demo, Rampage delivered a 0.53 rating, which was an increase of 71% week on week, and the highest demo AEW has produced since the first-ever episode of Dynamite back in October 2019. This shows that not only do fans remember him from his time in WWE, but eager for his return.
