Account
Dana White Says There Is 'No Deal for CM Punk to Fight Anywhere'
February 9, 2018
On Wednesday's episode of UFC Tonight on FS1, UFC President Dana White addressed rumors of CM Punk fighting at UFC 225 in Chicago.
As seen in the following video, White made it clear that there is no deal in place for Punk to compete in the Windy City in June:
Per Dana Becker of WrestlingInc.com, White said, "I don't know if that's where he'll fight, but he's healthy and interested. This is no deal for CM Punk to fight anywhere (right now), so we'll see how that plays out."
Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com reported on Wednesday that UFC was discussing booking Punk to fight Mike Jackson at UFC 225, adding that talks were in their "preliminary stages."
After UFC announced the event for Punk's hometown of Chicago, the former WWE Superstar sent out the following tweet to express interest:
The 39-year-old Punk's first and only UFC fight occurred at UFC 203 in September 2016. Punk was defeated by Mickey Gall via rear-naked choke submission in just two minutes and 14 seconds.
Jackson, 32, is also 0-1 as a professional.
The Houston native fell to Gall as well at UFC Fight Night 82 in February 2016 when Gall defeated him via rear-naked choke 45 seconds into the first round.
Jackson also dropped an amateur fight to Nick Felder in September 2009, per Sherdog.com.
Punk's credentials as an MMA fighter have been called into question, but his drawing power is undeniable.
He was a top star in professional wrestling, winning five world championships during his nearly eight-year run in WWE.
Punk is immensely popular in Chicago, and if UFC's decision-makers decide to book him on the card, it will likely go a long way toward filling up the building and generating interest on pay-per-view.