At this rate, will mixed martial arts (MMA) fans ever get to see CM Punk make his UFC debut?
MMAFighting.com is reporting that the former WWE World Heavyweight champion is slated to have back surgery on a herniated disc in his hometown of Chicago on Wednesday. The surgery means that Punk won't be able to face Mickey Gall as originally slated for this summer, marking the second time the former WWE superstar has had his UFC debut pushed back.
"My back has always bugged me," Punk told MMAFighting. "Figured it was just wrestling s***. Turns out it was. It got bad enough to the point where I couldn't do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn't. I've been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy ... nothing worked."
Punk had just learned that Gall would be his opponent after the latter defeated Mike Jackson via a first-round rear-naked choke on Saturday night. MMAFighting says Punk's doctor had told him right before the Gall vs. Jackson fight that he needed back surgery, but he kept tight-lipped about the news over the weekend.
Punk additionally told the website that his post-surgery recovery is scheduled to be four to six weeks and that he hopes to fight at least once this year.
Since signing with UFC in December 2014, Punk has battled an uphill climb just to set foot into the Octagon. His originally-scheduled debut was first delayed thanks to a shoulder injury, and Wednesday's news of his back surgery certainly won't make his transition from the squared circle to the Octagon any easier.
"This is just a bump in the road," he told MMAFighting. "I'm positive about this."
Well, legions of UFC fans and those from the WWE Universe who have been tracking him certainly hope so.
Tech Times can't help but wonder, though, if this setback opens up a sliver of a chance that Punk returns to WWE.
At 37, he's not getting any younger, and being selective about his level of participation with WWE — ala Brock Lesnar — might be an easier segue than continuing to train for UFC.
Just a thought.
