VIDEO: Watch CM Punk’s road to UFC 203 in ‘The Evolution of Punk’
By now, you’re aware that former WWE champion and star CM Punk is finally going to make his Octagon debut at UFC 203 in September against Mickey Gall.
The road from December 2014 when his signing was first announced has been a rocky one due to injury, hardcore fan and media outcry, and the fact that transitioning into a professional sport with no experience is, at best, difficult. Add in the bright spotlight shone on you the entire time, and you can see why Phil Brooks probably just wants to get this first fight out of the way.
Fox Sports has produced a four-part documentary on Punk’s transition into MMA and as they get released on YouTube, we’ll release them here.
In part 1 called “The Ground Up”, we get the foundation for why Punk wanted to get into MMA and see the hardships in the initial pivot.
In part 2 called “A Little Bit Crazy”, Punk’s wife sees a sparring session, we see Punk’s decision to move to Milwaukee, and then…injury happens.
In part 3 called “Hurt”, we see Punk recovering from shoulder problems that kept him on the shelf at the worst possible time. We also see him spend time with a Make-a-Wish kid, and some of the frustrations of all the attention placed on his new career move.
In the finale, Punk recovers from back surgery and meets Mickey Gall for the first time.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.