Kudos to CM Punk for having the ‘testicular fortitude’, to borrow a quote from Vince, for stepping up and pursuing his dream of fighting in the Octagon, but as you are most probably aware by now, it wasn’t a gamble that paid off for the pro-wrestling Superstar.
Taken to the ground and mauled, Punk didn’t acquit either himself or the near two years worth of training that he underwent at Roufusport well, in what was a highly lopsided contest that went the way that most MMA analysts had predicted.
And yet, there was a feeling of dissatisfaction that prevailed after the fight had gotten over. Could CM Punk, perhaps, have done more?
The answer to that we will definitively never know, but we can, however, busy ourselves in analysing what he might have done wrong in leading up to the fight, and perhaps, during it as well.
#5 The Gym he trained at
Don’t get me wrong here. Duke Roufus is a world class coach, and Roufusport is a gym that is certainly capable of producing UFC level fighters.
However it is telling that even their poster boy, former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, sought the services of Izzy Martinez of Jackson-Wink academy to train his wrestling, after getting ‘found out’ in that deparment against both Rafael Dos Anjos and Eddie Alvarez.
And if indeed that was a percerived weakness prevalent in the camp, the ease with which Gall shot on CM Punk and took him down did nothing to dispell that notion.
In hindsight, perhaps seeking the services of another gym, something like Kings MMA, Jackson-Wink or American Kickboxing Academy, would have served CM Punk better in ironing out all aspects of his MMA game.
Being the superstar that he is, no gym would have turned him down given the mainstream attention he was bound to draw onto them anyway.
#4 Overdoing media
It is indisputable that CM Punk possesses the gift of gab in abundance, what with the legendary pipebombs that he was (in)famous for during his WWE days. And he is also a global superstar; two attributes that invited a plethora of media commitments onto him during fight week.
While a more measured, calculated and focussed approach would have been the way to go for a fighter that is cutting weight for the first time and preparing to participate in his first pro-fight, in CM Punk’s case, the media attention was inevitable.
After all, pursuing MMA may have been a long-time dream from CM Punk’s perspective, but he himself was realistically little more than a PR exercise for the UFC.
#3 Dishonouring the ‘Warrior Code’
When CM Punk refused to shake Mickey Gall’s hand at the weigh-ins, the MMA world raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
Now, there aren’t rules written in stone that you absolutely have to shake your opponent’s hand before a fight, but as many MMA fighters would tell you, it is both in the true spirit of martial arts and in good faith, to show respect to your opponent.
It probably wouldn’t have affected the outcome of the fight had CM Punk been more cordial towards Mickey Gall, but it does leave one with a feeling that the way he postured himself leading up to the fight was a little too big for his birches, especially considering the way he was cut down to size in the fight.
#2 Playing too much to the crowd
One thing that the MMA world picked up on, thanks to Joe Rogan primarily, was how different Conor McGregor’s demeanour was in his rematch against Nate Diaz at UFC 202, as compared to their initial fight at UFC 196.
As playful and effervescent as he was in the walk-in during UFC 196 – pandering to the crowd the whole way – he was a picture of focus and calm while making his way to the Octagon from the lockerroom during their rematch.
CM Punk, at UFC 203, would have done well to take a leaf out of Conor’s book.
Yes, it is understandable that Punk was overcome by the reception that he received from the crowd, but the pre-fight walk-in is ideally the time for a fighter to clear his mind and get ready to fight, both physically and mentally.
However in this case, it was painfully obvious that CM Punk was more intent on riling up the crowd, and worse still, allowed all the hype and hoopla to get to his head as well.
#1 Amateur mistake in rushing in
Although many experts and analysts predicted that CM Punk couldn’t hang in there with Mickey Gall, the way the fight went down still left the fans disappointed. After hyping his UFC 203 bow through the Evolution of Punk series, the MMA world was – if not openly, then at least secretively – expecting a semblance of a solid performance from CM Punk.
However what they got was a 2 minutes of Mickey Gall imposing his will on CM Punk, which ironically would equate to a squash match in pro-wrestling terminology.
The primary mistake that CM Punk made in the fight was rushing in when the bell sounded, a huge no-no in fighting. While the electric atmosphere that the crowd was creating may have played a part in that, it was in Punk’s best interests to steady the ship and not get carried away.
He failed to rein in his emotions and rushed at Gall with a wild haymaker, and if the Cat Zingano – Ronda Rousey, Jose Aldo – Conor McGregor and Fabicio Werdum – Stipe Miocic fights were of any reference, it was an highly ill-advised move.
He was duly taken down, and on the ground, all we witnessed was a White belt in Jiu-Jitsu made short work of by a Brown belt, with much more ability and experience.
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