10 Huge UFC Stars Who Could Return In 2017

Things are looking up for a UFC return for Punk.

The man born Phillip Jack Brooks was steamrolled in his octagon debut, which allowed his naysayers to feel vindicated after years of criticizing the UFC's signing of the inexperienced WWE star. Yet despite Punk's inexperience, he has stayed dedicated to the sport, and continues to train. After Dana White suggested last year that Punk should look outside the UFC for his next fight, he has recently changed his tune.

Why's that? Money. UFC 203, where Punk made his debut, outperformed expectations, doing roughly 450,000 on PPV. It was headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem. Miocic's previous fight, in which he won the title, did just over 200,000 buys. While not the only factor, it could be argued that Punk boosted the buyrate by about 200K - easily worth his $500,000 in show money.

With so many stars in limbo, the UFC needs a boost. Look for Punk to be added to a card sometime in the Spring or Summer, if they don't opt to utilize him in other ways, such as an appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. However, he needs a win in his next fight. While his loss to Mickey Gall had the edge taken off it when Gall also beat UFC wonderkid Sage Northcutt, MMA is a "what have you done for me lately" sort of sport. Fans will buy a second fight, but another loss, and Punk will likely be out.