Prior to the recent news, the only thing that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans were waiting for was where the CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall tiff would be held.
It was already made official and earlier word had it happening at either UFC 199 or UFC 200. However, with news that the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star will be undergoing back surgery, Punk's most awaited debut has been pushed back yet again.
The back problem is something that had reportedly been bothering Punk since he was still in the WWE. Punk said via MMAFighting.com that the back issue was something affecting him during training, but he resorted to various modes of therapy to try remedy it.
However, as it turns out, the back pains are more serious than expected. He will need to undergo surgery to address the lingering back pain and that has forced the UFC to push back his first official match if it will ever happen. Punk knew about the problem even before UFC Fight Night 82.
The surgery will try to fix the damage on his herniated disk, something that is believed to have been carried on from his WWE days. He expects to be out between four to six weeks, although this poses uncertainty on when he could possibly be ready for his planned UFC debut.
Punk bares that the injury is highly similar to the one that Cain Velasquez had and will undergo the same medical procedure. Despite the setback, he is upbeat and confident that he will eventually make his debut despite injuries that have hampered him as of late.
This means that Gall will have to wait as well, unless Dana White pits him against someone else in the coming UFC events.
Gall made a statement win over Mike Jackson and met with Punk face-to-face inside the Octagon afterwards in civil fashion at UFC Fight Night 82.
