7 Ways UFC Could Book CM Punk's Return

7. Use Him To Launch A "Challengers" Style Show

Lets be real about this for a moment: those hoping that CM Punk was going to come over to the UFC with zero experience, and even after a year or two look like a world beater, were seriously delusional. Fighters spend years honing their craft. Many train for a decade or more before they hit the level of the UFC. Modern MMA means training every discipline, and to be the best, you have to understand every facet of the game.

That was a stiff test for CM Punk, but it would be a stiff test for anyone. He probably should have taken some amateur fights, but that would have lessened his value to the UFC. So, we got Punk vs. Gall, which ended pretty much like it should have.

That said, Strikeforce, which the UFC eventually purchased, used to do something rather interesting. It had a series of shows called Strikeforce: Challengers that featured up-and-coming prospects. It was a great way to showcase fresh talent, and someone like Punk would really boost interest in such an event. He could easily fight once or twice for such a series were the UFC to launch it's own version. However, it's iffy as to whether the UFC wants to go that route, since they've been cutting fighters of late rather than expanding their roster.