CM Punk Hints UFC Announcement May Be Coming

After suffering an embarrassingly decisive loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 which left even the most dedicated fans accepting the fact that the former pro wrestling standout has no business competing inside the octagon, the prospect of ever seeing Phil Brooks make that walk to the cage again seemed as slim as a dehydrated flyweight just before weigh-ins. UFC President Dana White appeared to share that sentiment when he said that Punk's UFC career was likely over.

Not so fast.

"The voice of the voiceless" has kept his voice mostly to himself lately, handling his defeat with class - and an odd motivational speech for Gall in the post-fight interview - and then remaining quiet regarding questions about his future in mixed martial arts. That all changed with an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. Making it clear he plans to continue pursuing a career in the sport and hopes to be granted another opportunity, Punk had this to say:

"That's up to Dana. I had a good conversation with him. I told him 'hey, if you want to cut me, I get it. But I'm fighting, whether it's for you or somebody else.' Now, I don't have an agent, I don't have a manager, I'm like Bill Murray, just with a lot less money and not as funny or as famous. But I told him I want to fight again. We're back at it, we're back to the drawing board. It's up to him. He floated me an idea and we're kinda going back and forth on it right now. I'm at the point where I kind of want to get something on paper. You might hear an announcement in the coming weeks, I really don't know. There's no timetable on it. ... I'm pretty confident (my next fight) will be in the UFC."

What this announcement could be is anyone's guess as Brooks kept the subject of the discussions confidential, although he did say he'd be ready to go by January. It's been suggested that Mike Jackson - the man Mickey Gall defeated to "earn" the fight against Punk - would make an ideal opponent for CM's second chance to prove he belongs, and Jackson himself confirmed it's been discussed during his AMA on Reddit. Outside of that, it's hard to imagine an athletic commission being willing to sanction Punk against anyone else currently on the UFC roster after the disparity in skill between he and Gall, one of the most inexperienced fighters in the organization was so painfully obvious.

An appearance on The Ultimate Fighter as a "celebrity" contestant would make sense from a business perspective, placing Punk alongside fighters closer to his level while also giving the dying reality series a boost of sorts.

Then again this could all just be a mixture of hot air, hype and wishful thinking on CM Punk's part. It'll be interesting to see where this goes and we'll have more if the story develops.