August 20 could finally see the UFC debut of former WWE star Phil Brookes, a.k.a CM Punk.
Punk is promised to Mickey Gall [2-0] following the welterweight’s UFC Fight Night 82 victory over Mike Jackson.
The 37-year-old signed up with the promotion in December 2014 but spent all of last year priming for his professional MMA bow. He was supposed to fight Gall in March but a back injury scuppered those plans.
In an interview with the SFLC podcast, Gall revealed the UFC had sent camera crews his way to get footage in the can for a fight later this summer. He commented:
“Let me tell you, I hope it’s soon. I think it’s going to be this summer, which I can do. I can wait. I’m training and I’m getting better and what I can’t wait for is to get my fight with CM Punk, beat CM Punk and then get started with the UFC roster.”
Gall, who was spotted by UFC president Dana White on Looking for a Fight, had the camera crew follow him to Miller Brothers, Gracie New Jersey and American Top Team [Allentown] gyms.
CM Punk came face to face with his first opponent in Las Vegas tonight https://t.co/RHkSBZHZ8A
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 7, 2016
Gall is eager to get his second UFC fight but is away that Punk is the money fight. He said:
“As a fighter, yeah, I’d like to stay active. It’s killing me a little bit, I would have liked to have had a fight by now.
“The smart move for me is to be patient and wait this one out”
The latest from Punk’s camp – Roufusport in Milwaukee – is that his recovery from surgery is going well and full training will resume soon.
That could mean Punk vs. Gall making it to the UFC 202 card in mid August. That is the card that Conor McGregor’s rematch with Nate Diaz is likely to be slated.
Earlier this month, John Kavanagh, McGregor’s coach, stated his belief that his man would be on the UFC 201 [July 30] or 202 cards. The second of the two would be the most viable option.
Asked about McGregor-Diaz II headlining UFC 202, Dana White remarked, ‘sounds like a good idea to me’.
CM Punk’s MMA debut on the undercard of McGregor-Diaz II would be a pay-per-view dream for the promotion.
