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After Saturday’s UFC weigh-ins, former WWE champion Phil ‘CM Punk’ Brooks refused to shake his opponent’s hand, stating “I’m not here to shake anybody’s hand. I’m here to punch people in the face.”
He lied. During Brooks’ short-and-sweet Octagon debut he landed zero punches, zero kicks, zero elbows, and zero knees.
The 37-year-old former pro wrestler was simply no match for blue-chip prospect Mickey Gall, who planted Brooks on his back within five seconds.
Gall, the protege of UFC fighter Jim Miller, pummelled Brooks on the mat, before securing a rear-naked-choke to extend his pro record to 3-0.
“In life, you go big or you go home,” a battered and bruised Brooks told UFC commentator Joe Rogan following the one-sided shellacking.
“I just like to take challenges. I may not have scaled this mountain tonight but it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop, it doesn’t mean I’m going to give up. I will be back, believe it or not. This is the most fun I’ve had in my life. Second best night of my life after marrying my wife.”
Brooks, who prepared for his MMA debut at the Roufussport gym in Milwaukee for almost two years, gave the impression that his UFC journey was only beginning, but company president Dana White feels differently.
“(Brooks) probably shouldn’t have his next fight in the UFC,” White told Fight Network after UFC 203. “Just like I said with Brock (Lesnar), having your first fight in the UFC is tough.”
Lesnar, the only athlete to hold championships in the UFC and WWE, crossed over into “real” fighting with ridiculous ease, becoming the heavyweight standard bearer by his fourth pro bout, but it’s obvious that he is the exception, not the rule.
It was absolutely unrealistic to think a mature-aged rookie with no combat sports experience and a body ruined by 15 years in the wrestling ring could become a UFC-ready fighter in a little over 18 months.
The deflated and upset former WWE superstar faced the press in Cleveland after yesterday’s loss, admitting that he fears his UFC campaign will be a one-and-done.
“I haven’t talked to (UFC President) Dana (White about the fight),” Brooks said at the post-fight press conference, “But it’s not like I fought a good fight.”
Ultimately, the UFC’s hands are tied here. In a star-driven business, a fighter with Brooks’ notoriety is always welcome. Problem is, there is not a single person on the roster that he could beat.
Gall was an anonymous rookie the company plucked from obscurity to fight their star recruit, and he wore Brooks around like a hat.
In the aftermath of this one-sided loss, Brooks will undoubtedly be handed a lengthy medical suspension, allowing plenty of time to think about his future.
If the Chicago-born wrestler truly wants to continue down this path as a fighter in his late 30s, likely plying his trade in the minor leagues, then there will be no shortage of promoters ringing his phone.
The truth is, ‘CM Punk’ might still have a future in fighting, it just isn’t in the UFC.