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CM Punk is as mystified by his decision to try MMA as much as anyone else.

Eight years ago at UFC 203, Punk officially made his walk to the octagon in what was not only his pro debut, but his first-ever MMA fight. He was no average debutant, bringing a massive fan following to the event as a former WWE megastar. Unfortunately, that wrestling stardom did little to help him inside the cage, and he was submitted in a little over two minutes by Mickey Gall.

Punk, 45, is now back with the WWE, and as he prepares to appear at his first WrestleMania since 2013, he took a moment to look back at his memorable two-fight UFC run during an interview on The MMA Hour.

“I asked my wife the other day, because I said something, I was just like, ‘What was I, 35 when I fought?’” Punk said. “And she was just like, ‘Oh no, you were 36 or 37.’ I just went, ‘What the f*** was I thinking?’”

In fact, Punk was just six weeks shy of his 38th birthday when he fought Gall, and he was 39 when he took on Mike Jackson in his second UFC fight. The bout with Jackson also ended in a loss, this time by decision, though the result was later overturned when Jackson tested positive for marijuana.

The Jackson fight took place at UFC 225 in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, which proved to be a tumultuous occurrence. In the lead-up to the June 2018 event, Punk was in the middle of being sued by fellow wrestler and former friend Colt Cabana, who accused Punk of breach of contract and fraud related to a 2014 lawsuit. Following an acrimonious departure from the WWE in 2014, Punk famously accused WWE doctor Christopher Amann of medical negligence during an appearance on Cabana’s podcast, which resulted in Amann suing Punk and Cabana for defamation. Cabana’s 2018 grievance concerned Punk allegedly agreeing to pay Cabana’s legal fees in the defamation suit.

Even given those circumstances, Punk is fine with how fight-night played out.

“I’m glad I did it,” he said. “Zero regrets. I shouldn’t have fought in Chicago, because of the worst two weeks of my life. Easily the worst two weeks of my life. I couldn’t cut weight properly. I still made weight. I’m proud of myself for that. I’m an ambitious guy.”

Considering the amount of media attention Punk’s move from pro wrestling to pro fighting garnered, it was inevitable that his losses would be scrutinized. To this day, you can find fans who will mock the wrestling legend for his unsuccessful venture into MMA.

Punk has seen the best and the worst of both wrestling and MMA fans, so he has nothing but a positive outlook when he recalls his time as a legitimate cagefighter.

“I get it, it’s easy to ‘LOL’ and make fun of me,” Punk said. “Some people look at that and be like, ‘That’s embarrassing.’

“I f****** made the weight. I made the walk. I am 100 percent proud of myself, and I would do it again, because that was me at my absolute worst, and I did it. You want to call me a loser, that’s cool, but I was stoked I got that opportunity, and I was stoked I did it.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

KSI didn’t miss the chance to have a laugh on April Fool’s Day.

The annual celebration of jokes and jibes brought out the mischievous side of the combat sports community, including the popular YouTuber-turned-boxer who took a moment to poke fun at rival Jake Paul. Paul made headlines recently with the announcement that he will be boxing heavyweight legend Mike Tyson on July 20 in a bout that streams live on Netflix and the matchup has received its fair share of criticism from fans and fighters alike.

KSI was among the detractors, so it’s not surprising that his April Fool’s gag was a mock announcement of a bout between him and another heavyweight legend, George Foreman.

“I’m back baby! Fighting 75 year old legend and former champ. Don’t worry, age ain’t nothing but a number. Forman hits harder and is faster than ever before!”

To drive the joke home, the satiric poster for KSI vs. Foreman lists the bout as taking place on “NOTflix” and having “5 second rounds,” “150 oz gloves,” and “no punching allowed.” KSI also mentioned the fact that Foreman is 75, which is 18 years older than Tyson.

While Paul is actually booked, KSI is yet to officially make his next move in the boxing world. He recently suffered his first pro loss in six fights, dropping a narrow—and uneventful—decision to Tommy Fury.

Check out the April Fool’s shenanigans the fighting world got up to on social media below.

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The world of combat sports is becoming more strange with each passing day and this time, Rampage Jackson has found himself in the middle of the madness.

Rampage has had a long, successful career in the sport of mixed martial arts and proved to be one of the best fighters in the world during his prime. However, his accolades haven’t stopped viral bodybuilder Mike O’Hearn from welcoming a fight against the former UFC champion.

As stated by Bloodsport Bushido on X, several names have been confirmed for their event in Tokyo, Japan on June 22. Both Rampage Jackson and Mike O’Hearn stood out among the list of names announced to be in action on the card.

ジョシュ・バーネット主宰
「Bloodsport Bushido」６.２２(土)両国大会

楽天チケット独占先行発売中！
購入URL⇒ https://t.co/xyI10rjRJS

【大会名】Bloodsport Bushido（ブラッドスポーツ 武士道）
【開催日時】２０２４年６月２２日（土）１６時開始
【会場】 東京・両国国技館

【出場予定選手】… pic.twitter.com/XwATMQOyJX

— Bloodsport Bushido【公式】 (@JBBloodsport_JP) April 1, 2024

Alongside Bloodsport Bushido’s announcement on social media, Mike O’Hearn also made the bout official on his Instagram page. 

The bodybuilder thanked Josh Barnett for making the weird but wonderful bout come to fruition.

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A post shared by Mike O'Hearn (@mikeohearn)

Aside from his bodybuilding and modeling career, Mike O’Hearn is best known for being a viral social media meme accompanied by an altered version of the Haddaway song, “What Is Love”.

Related: ‘Rampage’ Jackson still has some fight left in him: ‘I’m not done’

What is Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport?

Josh Barnett held his first Bloodsport event back in April of 2019, with the headlining bout being Barnett himself taking on Minoru Suzuki.

Bloodsport has a unique ruleset—which is almost a mixture of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.

The athletes compete inside something similar to a traditional wrestling ring, though the ropes and turnbuckles have been removed, leaving just the canvas.

While each fight is pre-planned like professional wrestling, each matchup must end with one competitor winning by a knockout or submission.

Rampage Jackson isn’t the first UFC alumni who have fought inside the Bloodsport ring. Frank Mir, Shayna Baszler, Tom Lawlor, Dan Severn, and Matt Riddle, alongside the aforementioned Josh Barnett, have all partook in a Bloodsport event.

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Phil “CM Punk” Brooks’ Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stint will always be remembered … for the wrong reasons.

The former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion entered mixed martial arts (MMA) and UFC as a complete novice in late 2014. Brooks eventually debuted opposite Mickey Gall in a Welterweight match up at UFC 203 in September 2016. Unfortunately for “The Voice of the Voiceless,” he lost just over two minutes when Gall sunk in a rear-naked choke.

Punk followed up his debut with another tough outing against Mike Jackson in his hometown of Chicago, Ill., at UFC 225 two years later. At the time, Brooks was embroiled in a legal battle with a fellow professional wrestler, Scott “Colt Cabana” Colton, which made the occasion all the tougher. Jackson defeated Brooks via a unanimous decision before the result was later overturned to a no contest when Jackson tested positive for marijuana.

“I asked my wife the other day because I said something, I was just like, ‘What was I, 35 when I fought?’” Brooks said on The MMA Hour. “And she was just like, ‘Oh no, you were 36 or 37.’ I just went, ‘What the f—k was I thinking?’

“I’m glad I did it,” he continued, speaking about his Jackson fight. “Zero regrets. I shouldn’t have fought in Chicago, because of the worst two weeks of my life. Easily the worst two weeks of my life. I couldn’t cut weight properly. I still made weight. I’m proud of myself for that. I’m an ambitious guy.”

Now that he’s back in professional wrestling and WWE, Brooks believes everything came around nicely. Hate him all you want, the ambition counts for something in Punk’s book.

“I get it, it’s easy to ‘LOL’ and make fun of me,” Brooks said. “Some people look at that and be like, ‘That’s embarrassing.’

“I f—king made the weight. I made the walk,” he concluded. “I am 100 percent proud of myself, and I would do it again, because that was me at my absolute worst, and I did it. You want to call me a loser, that’s cool, but I was stoked I got that opportunity, and I was stoked I did it.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Ten fighters need doctor clearance to resume competition after UFC Atlantic City, including ex-middleweight champ Chris Weidman and Bruno Silva.

The middleweight competitors went to a technical decision after a replay revealed repeated eye pokes to Silva. As a result, Silva needs a doctor’s clearance for his eye after his loss on points to Weidman, who needs a CT scan to be cleared.

Main event winner Manon Fiorot also needs a doctor’s clearance after her shutout win over Erin Blanchfield. The France native was rushed to the hospital immediately after her win, which could set up a title shot in the flyweight division.

UFC Atlantic City took place this past Saturday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., and aired live on ESPN.

Here is the full list of medical suspensions from UFC Atlantic City.

Manon Fiorot: Fiorot suspended indefinitely pending orthopedic clearance of right arm, and suspended 60 days with no contact.

Erin Blanchfield: suspended 30 days for facial lacerations.

Joaquin Buckley: suspended 7 days with no contact.

Vicente Luque: suspended 45 days with no contact for TKO.

Chris Weidman: suspended indefinitely pending CT scan head clearance, and suspended 30 days no contact.

Bruno Silva: suspended indefinitely pending opthalmologist clearance for left eye, and also suspended 30 days with no contact.

Nursulton Ruziboev: suspended 7 days.

Sedriques Dumas: suspended indefinitely pending opthalmologist clearance for right eye, and suspended 60 days for KO/45 days with no contact.

Bill Algeo: suspended 45 days with no contact for TKO.

Rhys McKee suspended 7 days no contact.

Nate Landwehr: suspended 45 days with no contact for scalp laceration

Jamall Emmers: suspended indefinitely pending neurologist exam clearance, and suspended 60 days for KO/45 days with no contact.

Loopy Godinez: suspended 7 days with no contact.

Herbert Burns: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for TKO, and suspended indefinitely pending neurologist exam clearance.

Connor Matthews: suspended 45 days with no contact for TKO, and suspended indefinitely pending neurologist exam clearance.

Ibo Aslan: suspended 30 days with no contact, suspended indefinitely pending CT head exam clearance, and suspended indefinitely pending X-ray of right foot.

Anton Turkalj: suspended 60 days with no contact for TKO, suspended indefinitely pending CT head scan clearance, suspended indefinitely pending neurologist exam clearance, and suspended indefinitely pending X-ray of lower extremities (tibia/fibia).

Jacob Malkoun: suspended 30 days

Andre Petroski: suspended 45 days no contact for TKO, and suspended indefinitely pending CT head scan clearance.

Caolan Loughran: suspended 7 days with no contact

Angel Pacheco: suspended 45 days with no contact for facial lacerations, suspended indefinitely pending orthopedist clearance of left ankle.

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Things got a little intense between welterweight standout Joaquin Buckley and Ariel Helwani during Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour.

Fresh off his second-round knockout of Vicente Luque at UFC Atlantic City, ‘New Mansa’ made an appearance on Helwani’s show to discuss his big win and what may be next.

Along the way, Buckley called out Helwani, accusing the multi-time award-winning journalist of using loaded questions to weaponize fighters against the UFC.

“You’ve been in the business for a long time,” Buckley began. “Obviously, you have respect for what you do and you do it very well. You’ve got a lot of facts about the UFC and different fighters, but personally, I feel like when we come on your show, you try to use us as a weapon against the UFC, right?

“You use your platform, but you try to set us up lowkey with certain questions when those conversations and what you’re trying to talk about could get us in trouble.”

Ariel Helwani responds to Joaquin Buckley’s accusation

Helwani was quick to disagree with Buckley’s statement, respectfully responding with:

“Honestly, I don’t agree. I’ve been doing this show since 2009. You think I’m trying to make the fighters look bad? I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I have the fighters on because I love the fighters and respect the fighters and I want to give them an opportunity to tell their story and be able to learn more.

“I want to learn more and I hope that other people learn more when they hear from you guys. I’m not trying to weaponize anything. That would be crazy and I would be wasting my life doing anything like that.”

Helwani went on to ask Buckley for specific examples. It was then that Buckley promptly said that he was “through” and exited the interview, bringing an end to the awkward incident.

You can watch Joaquin Buckley’s full appearance on The MMA Hour by jumping to the 33-minute mark of the below embed:

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