CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall Announced for UFC 203: Latest Details and Reaction

Former WWE champion CM Punk—real name Phil Brooks—will make his professional MMA debut in a welterweight bout against New Jersey's Mickey Gall at UFC 203 on Sept. 10.

The UFC confirmed the fight Thursday:

Per MailOnline's Martin Domin, the fight has been on the cards for some time following Gall's February win over Mike Jackson, as the 24-year-old called Punk out on UFC President Dana White's television show, Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight.

See the clip below:

The 37-year-old Punk signed with the UFC in December 2014, but a string of injuries have delayed his debut.

Per MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi, the fighter revealed on the UFC Unfiltered podcast, on which he broke the news of September's fight, that he was only cleared by doctors this week after suffering a back injury.

He also explained his motivation for moving into MMA despite little previous experience in combat sports: "I think there's probably something seriously wrong with me. Everyone is trying to figure out why I would want to do this. I'm a guy who gets bored easily and I have goals and there's things in life I enjoy. It's not about the destination; it's about the journey."

Interestingly, Punk's UFC debut will take place at the same venue where he bowed out of pro wrestling in controversial fashion, Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, per CNET's Daniel Van Boom:

In MMA terms, and despite his significantly lower profile, Gall is more of a known quantity than Punk.

His first professional fight saw him win with ease, and he followed that victory with a 45-second submission of Jackson in his UFC debut.

It is impossible to know how Punk will fare in his debut, given his lack of MMA experience. But that only adds to the intrigue surrounding this hotly anticipated clash.