Phil Brooks, widely knows by his in-ring name, CM Punk, made his mixed martial arts debut after a career in professional wrestling, at UFC 203 in Cleveland, against up and coming welterweight Mickey Gall, where he lost via submission in the very first round.
The fight world had high hopes for the debut of CM Punk, despite the numerous criticism he faced. Punk, who is 37 years old, made the decision to transition to mixed martial arts from professional a successful professional wrestling career. Punk had no previous MMA experience, prior to fighting in the UFC. His one-year training camp and preparation was widely publicized through his documentary called "The Evolution of Punk," which is available on the UFC's YouTube channel.
In the fight, the 24-year old jiu jitsu practitioner, Mickey Gall, made quick work of Punk, by immediately taking him down, hit him with a few shots, then proceeded to submit him with his signature rear naked choke. Gall, who is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, goes to 3-0 in his professional career. Punk was not able to mount any form of offense in the fight, and was finished early in the first round.
Punk, who is now 0-1 in his professional career, gave his young opponent some advice after the fight, as Gall felt like he shouldn't be on the main card, seeing that UFC veterans Uriah Faber and Jimmie Rivera were in the undercard, while Punk and himself were on the main card. Gall said that Punk told him to "always feel you belong," according to MMA Fighting.
Gall stated in the post-fight conference that he still hand plenty to prove before he can declare himself a legitimate contender, adding that even though he won impressively, he defeated a guy who was supposed to be an amateur. Also in the the post-fight Octagon interview, Gall went on to call out fellow young and upcoming prospect Sage Northcutt, for a possible fight at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden.
