CM Punk Suffers UFC Injury Setback

CM Punk's journey to the UFC octagon may take even longer than expected, as the former WWE Champion has hit yet another bump in the road, this time due to injury. According to comments from Punk's head coach, Duke Roufus, Punk was recently injured in training - and will be examined by a doctor on October 14th to determine the extent of the injury. If all looks well, he could return to training at that time. The injury is apparently a shoulder injury, but beyond that, its nature isn't known. Speaking to ESPN, Roufus stated that;

He got caught in a scramble, so right now he's taking a little time off. He was doing great before that. His progress has been good.

He went on to break down how the injury will impact Punk's debut timeline;

The UFC will probably book him a fight three to four months in advance -- a guy of his magnitude. We're probably looking at a fight in the next 6-to-10 months. The injury throws us back one month. We had a ballpark. We were looking at mid- to late-spring. Now, we'll just have to see how he comes back from the injury.

At this point, Punk's debut is looking more likely to be mid to late Summer 2016, a full year and a half after signing with the promotion. According to Roufus, Punk was about 50% ready - but added that his 100% would be a very well-prepared person. Still, time is quickly becoming a factor here. Punk will turn thirty-seven this month, and will be well on his way to thirty-eight before he makes his UFC - and MMA - debut. Every month off due to injury is another delay in his MMA career, and if he's looking at this as more than a one or two-fight deal, then he'll need to hope he can avoid the injury bug moving forward.