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MMA

10th Jun 2018

CM Punk completely outclassed in return to UFC’s Octagon

Exactly as awful as everyone thought it would be

Ben Kiely

CM Punk

CM Punk doesn’t belong in the UFC. That has been clear since day one.

First, they brought in Mickey Gall to fight CM Punk. The then-2-0 young gun made light work of the former WWE star. Just 2:14 into that fight, Punk was tapping out from a rear-naked choke.

Then the matchmakers turned to the man they brought in specifically to lose to Gall. So CM Punk received another shot against Mike Jackson in his hometown of Chicago.

This meant that the UFC 225, arguably the best card of the year, opened up its PPV portion with the undeniable worst UFC fight of the year. In one corner, an 0-1 MMA media member whose a photographer by trade. In the other, an 0-1 professional wrestler who only took up the sport in his 30s.

Unsurprisingly, it was shite.

Punk received the biggest cheer of the fight in the opening round. His takedown brought the crowd to its feet. The crowd appreciated the action following the clinch battle that preceded it. Joe Rogan boldly claimed that the takedown may have stolen the round for Punk.

Not even Punk’s close friends and family would believe that statement.

The first round belonged to Jackson.

https://twitter.com/Maldobabo/status/1005637337584488448

Jackson pieced him up on the feet in the second round with ease.

When it went to the ground, Punk’s defensive grappling left a lot to be desired. Jackson took up residence in top control without having to do a whole lot. The crowd booed as he showboated, landing with humiliating strikes to the body and neck that didn’t appear to cause a lot of damage.

Punk showed incredible heart to stick it out until the end, but skills win fights. Punk didn’t have the requisite skills to even be competitive with the second-worst fighter on the roster. Jackson toyed with him in every department to cruise to a unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored the fight 30-26 in his favour.

https://twitter.com/Maldobabo/status/1005641069466406912

That should sound the death knell on CM Punk’s UFC career. Enough is enough. The experiment is over. It was a resounding failure.