Phil Brooks, better known by his WWE moniker CM Punk, made his mixed martial arts debut under the UFC banner. Inside the octagon, Brooks went toe-to-toe with the undefeated Mickey Gall. Gall made short work of the WWE superstar, earning a submission victory within the first round. While many fight fans thought that was the abrupt end of Brooks’ fighting career, it would appear that the pro-wrestler turned fighter may have been motivated by the loss to continue on.
Duke Roufus, coach to “CM Punk”, recently sat down with Jim Norton and former UFC welterweight champ Matt Serra on UFC Unfiltered. On the podcast, Roufus explained that the UFC loss was Brooks’ first “real beating.”
“Dana and the matchmakers had their weekly matchmaking meeting yesterday, and we’ll get some news soon.” He said. “I just think the first time you step in the octagon, there’s something special you’ve got to deal with getting in there. For Punk, this sounds really weird, but now he knows what a beating feels like – a real beating.”
Speaking on the loss, he continued:
“I think a loss will help a lot of fighters to the point of haunting them, like, ‘No, I don’t want to feel this way ever again.’ It’s not the physical. These guys are tough. It’s the mental anguish. You don’t want to feel that depressing, embarrassing feeling of getting beat up in front of God and everyone. It’s no fun. It’s been great motivation for him.”
