5 Ways in Which CM Punk could win his UFC return fight

The fact that Punk is getting another chance in the UFC despite an abysmal performance in his debut at UFC 203 against Mickey Gall in October 2016 is not being accepted by many fans. Most sentiments are still towards the idea that his second chance in the UFC is an insult to injury to the fact that a 0-0 (now 0-1) fighter like himself was immediately given a crack at the big show.

But what exactly does Punk have to do in order to secure victory this time around? Here are some keys to victory against an opponent like Jackson.

#5 Tap Mickey Gall as a training partner

One fun fact about the reportedly scheduled welterweight fight between Punk and Jackson is that they both lost to one man: rising prospect Mickey Gall. To make things more interesting, they lost via the same exact method: rear-naked choke in the first round.

Punk may have been training in mixed martial arts for quite a while now, but he is still considered a novice in the game. Gall, on the other hand, is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and already has five wins under his belt.

If anything, Punk can learn a lot about handling Jackson by training with "The Situation", while upgrading his game, at the same time. He already trains with some of the best fighters in the world, but adding a fighter of Gall's caliber could only benefit him, especially for this fight.

#4 Sharpen his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game

Even before it was announced that CM Punk will be heading to the UFC, he has already been actively involved in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Punk began his BJJ journey at the renowned Gracie Academy in Torrance, where he went under the tutelage of Rener and Ryron Gracie.

It is, of course, important to hone each and every facet of martial arts for MMA, but Punk would likely be better off if he focused on honing his grappling and ground submission skills for this fight. Having already been promoted to the rank of blue belt in December, he is definitely more confident in executing the moves now than he ever was as a white belt in his first fight, and that could play a major factor.

#3 Learn to use his striking knowledge effectively

In order to make item #4 work, Punk would need to set them up using his strikes. This is where his stand-up game must be used effectively.

Mixed martial arts is a game of inches and each and every fighter on the roster is aware of this fact. With that being said, the great majority of them would not haphazardly dive in for an ill-advised takedown just to get the fight to the ground. Those who do, unfortunately, pay a steep price.

#2 Take advantage of his hometown edge

Another interesting tidbit about UFC 225 is that it will take place in Punk's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Historically, he would receive a massive ovation from the thousands in attendance, whenever he would walk down the ramp of WWE shows in the United Center during his pro-wrestling years.

It remains uncertain if the same droves of people would be tuning in to watch his second UFC fight, but Punk could sure use the huge encouragement from his fellow Chicago folks.

#1 Train, train, and train some more

Upon the announcement of his signing to the UFC in 2014, what was not clear for a while was the team and training camp that Punk would be part in, once he began preparing for his debut. He eventually made the right decision by joining the renowned Roufusport Academy.

The Milwaukee-based facility is headed by multi-time kickboxing champion Duke Roufus, where other elite fighters train, such as former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, undefeated welterweight Ben Askren, and current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, among others. These three names alone are already more than enough to give Punk some quality training.

However, order to further develop and progress, he must have nothing else on his agenda but to train and improve himself as much as he can. He already has the age disadvantage against Jackson, who is in his prime at 32 years of age, and he cannot afford to slack off and put himself at risk for another loss.