Following Saturday evening's UFC PPV event, where Ronda Rousey suffered her first loss in the octagon, UFC President Dana White was asked about the target date for former WWE Champion CM Punk's debut. White responded to the question by saying that Punk will most likely have his first fight for UFC before Summer 2016. He went on to say that everyone needs to give Punk the time to properly prepare for his first MMA fight. While a Spring fight was largely speculated to be the case, White's comments this weekend all but confirm the plans. Punk originally signed his contract with UFC in December 2014. He and the company had previously been targeting a PPV fight debut to occur before the end of 2015. To prepare for his debut, Punk ramped up his training regimen and quickly joined respected MMA trainer Duke Roufus at Roufusport's training facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (about a 90 minute drive from Punk's hometown of Chicago). After commuting to Milwaukee for several months, Punk decided to start renting a residence in Milwaukee this past Summer (while keeping his home in Chicago) so that he could cut down on trips back and forth. Punk suffered a shoulder injury in a training session in early October, which undoubtedly has contributed to his UFC debut date being pushed back. Concerning his injury and training up to that point, Duke Roufus told ESPN, "He got caught in a scramble, so right now hes taking a little time off. He was doing great before that. His progress has been good. Hes got a great attitude and hes a hard worker. He got a place in Milwaukee where he lives all week when hes here training, so hes in it to win it.
