CM Punk announced for MMA commentary return next week
CM Punk is returning to MMA commentary next week.
Cage Fury Fighting Championships announced that Punk will be back on the broadcast team for CFFC 156, which takes place at Hard Rock Casino Rockford in Rockford, Illinois on Friday, June 26.
Punk will partner with CFFC general manager John Morgan on the broadcast.
CFFC wrote of Punk’s return to commentary at the event:
“For the first time in 2026, the legendary CM Punk will return to the Cage Fury Fighting Championships broadcast team.
The seven-time WWE world champion and two-time UFC veteran will make his long-awaited homecoming to the booth for “CFFC 156: Stanford Lewis” on Friday, June 26 from Illinois’ Hard Rock Casino Rockford, just outside of Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Punk has served as color commentator for CFFC since 2018, a run that included a brief retirement from professional wrestling, as well as a stint with All Elite Wrestling, where he also claimed a world championship. His CFFC appearances have been more sparing since a 2023 return to WWE, though the promotion’s debut in his home state proved impossible to pass up.
Punk will once again work alongside CFFC General Manager and longtime MMA journalist John Morgan on the broadcast.”
Punk has not appeared on WWE programming since a segment with Cody Rhodes on the Raw after WrestleMania in April.
Dave Meltzer addressed Punk’s potential WWE return in the June 15, 2026 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, noting that the plan at the moment is for Punk to join the SmackDown brand. Raw, however, has an upcoming July 6 episode in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Meltzer wrote:
“There was a lot of talk about Punk rumors this past week. The Punk departure the week after he had said that he’s a guy who is there every week was strange, but we were told he was being taken off because they had no creative for him and would be back when his angle was to start. The plan right now is for him to return on Smackdown, which is basically a balancing act. The belief is with Raw having Reigns, Rollins, The Usos, Fatu, Femi, Logan Paul and Breakker that Punk made more sense on Smackdown with a top tier of Rhodes, Gunther, Ripley and soon to be Punk, Orton and McIntyre. Plus Rhodes vs. Punk has been a direction. The return date of 7/6 Raw in Chicago makes sense, although that is a Raw date, not Smackdown, but that’s really not material in the sense Chicago does make sense for him to appear.“
Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.