CM Punk UFC debut delayed due to back surgery

  • F4W Staff
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CM Punk (real name Phil Brooks) will undergo back surgery on Wednesday in Chicago, delaying his UFC debut indefinitely.

According to what Brooks told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani, the injury is a lingering issue from his pro wrestling days that has worsened in recent months. The recovery time will be 4-6 weeks, and he’s still planning on debuting at some point in 2016.

The timing couldn’t be worse as his opponent was just confirmed last Saturday at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas after Mickey Gall took less than a minute to defeat Mike Jackson to earn the shot. An exact date was not announced at the time, but he was to face Gall at an undetermined UFC PPV, assumed to be in June or July. Unfortunately, he found out about needing surgery just hours before Gall fought Jackson.

Punk has already had one injury setback when a shoulder injury last August delayed his training.