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Why CM Punk Might Get Last Laugh Despite UFC 203 Loss

By Toni Matthews
Published on: 00:49 PST, Sep 16, 2016

CM Punk lost at UFC 203. Or did he? It seems to depend on what you mean when you say “victory” or “defeat.”

Was Punk physically overpowered by opponent Mickey Gall? Yes. Was he defeated by submission just a couple of minutes into the first round? Again, yes. But in the end, it appears CM Punk may have won some unexpected victories — including another potential appearance at a future UFC PPV event.

Forbes claims that CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, proved quite a profitable draw for UFC 203. How profitable? Well, let’s put it this way: UFC 203 is on track to earn as much revenue as UFC 182. Forbes notes that since UFC 182, only three fighters have demonstrated larger drawing power: Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and WWE alumni Brock Lesnar.

[Image by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]

It’s highly likely that a “what if” factor played a large role in CM Punk’s perceived drawing power at UFC 203. After all, Punk was finally making his MMA debut. No one knew what he could — or couldn’t — do yet. Watching the PPV event was all about finding out first hand. Could Punk win? Would he lose and lose badly?

https://youtu.be/5sXkzaE3OG4

Although most were betting against the ex-pro wrestler, there was still a great deal of curiosity. Well, there’s not much more of that; CM Punk lost.

Yet CM Punk followed up his defeat with an inspirational speech straight out of a Rocky sequel. You had to give him props for his bravery and for his “follow your dreams no matter what” message. In fact, I’d say Punk may have earned a great deal of respect in the same way that Brock Lesnar initially did during his return at UFC 200.

The difference? I suspect the goodwill Punk amassed for himself will remain (as Brock tested positive for PEDs).

Still, goodwill might not be enough to see CM Punk feature in any future matches. He made his fight debut at age 37, and against a much younger and more skilled opponent. It’s safe to say that this is as easy as it gets in the UFC. Should CM Punk return for another match, who could he face and hope to beat?

As ESPN’s Brett Okamoto observed:

“If last weekend was Punk’s initiation to MMA, a trial by fire to see if he’d have the guts to come back from a public beating, his second fight should be about actual competition. Because that’s what this guy has said he wants. He wants to fight for real and in order to do that, he deserves the right to do it in a “real” situation.

That means booking him against a similarly skilled opponent. The UFC isn’t the right promotion for that job. The opponent Punk needs is not someone the UFC should be signing — even to a one-fight deal.”

CM Punk has heart, even if the word “gimmick” was lurking beneath the surface of his fight with Mickey Gall. That said, the logical thing to do would be to move on. Punk has nothing else to prove and no real need to come back for a second fight. It also seems, as reported by MMAFighting, that UFC President Dana White has implied as much.

And yet Punk might be the one holding the trump card.

As stated earlier, CM Punk proved a very large draw. It wasn’t just MMA fans tuning in; there were quite a few disgruntled WWE fans celebrating his loss on social media. It’s possible that those angry wrestling fans may signal a strong money-making possibility — at least for one more PPV event.

Not only that, but CM Punk’s one fight was pretty lucrative: An impressive $500,000. That is a crazy amount of money for an inexperienced fighter to earn.

What does this mean? Well, as much as I hate to admit it, when things go left in UFC (as we saw with UFC 200), often hype and gimmicks are used to build fan anticipation. CM Punk’s impressive revenue impact could mean that he gets one more fight in the UFC at some point.

If that’s the case, it will probably be a scenario where CM Punk is used to save an otherwise lackluster PPV event if there’s not enough drama. Offering to lend a “helping hand” might allow Punk to earn another big payday. It may even inspire him to learn from the mistakes displayed in his first Octagon appearance.

If CM Punk gets the chance to fight again and get paid well doing it, he will likely go for it. We may laugh at the idea of this “fake wrestler” in the Octagon, but if things head in a certain direction, CM Punk could be the one having the last laugh — all the way to the bank.

Do you think CM Punk is done in the UFC or does he have at least one fight left? If he does come back, who should he fight? Share your thoughts below!

[Featured Image by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]

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