CM Punk's Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut has long been awaited and while many had hoped it would happen this month, an injury has prevented such from happening.
Punk (Phil Brooks) has been in training for quite some time now, but with the shoulder injury he sustained last October while training under Duke Roufus, all plans of seeing the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion in the Octagon had to be moved.
Even though the timetable for his return to training could play a part on when he can be declared ready for mixed martial arts (MMA) action, UFC President Dana White is 100% confident that Punk will make his debut at some point next year.
Punk does have ample background in jiu-jitsu, but everyone knows that it takes more than just martial arts skills to survive the rigors of competing with seasoned UFC fighters. And such was the reason why Roufus has to whip up the 37-year-old former WWE champion to proper fighting form before he is released to the UFC's den of lions.
Assuming White's forecast does stay the course, who could Punk eventually face?
According to the Daily Mail, Punk's likely opponent may come from White's new project via YouTube, "Dana White: Looking for a Fight."
The web series project is believed to be White's move to discover new talent worldwide, something that will star him and Matt Serra.
With that said, there are a lot of UFC fans who are eager to see as well if Punk can follow in the footsteps of another WWE star who made the jump to the UFC — Brock Lesnar.
Lesnar made that move in 2008 and proved to be a good addition to the UFC umbrella. The only difference between the two is that Lesnar was already armed with extensive wrestling experience from his college days while Punk had none other than his mixed martial arts expertise.
If all goes according to plan, Punk's UFC debut could be lined up as another solid feather to the UFC cap with Jon Jones and Ronda Rousey expected to make their respective returns as well.
