UFC News: CM Punk Talks MMA Future, Return To Wrestling

Former WWE champion CM Punk is not ruling out another mixed martial arts fight despite currently holding a 0-2 record.

Punk competed professionally for the second time earlier this summer at UFC 225 in his hometown of Chicago where, while he was not finished like in his debut against Mickey Gall over two years ago, he was thoroughly outclassed by fellow newcomer Mike Jackson who won via unanimous decision.

The drawing power of Punk had seemingly dropped as well.

For his UFC 203 debut in September 2016, a reported 475,000 people bought the pay-per-view but after seeing how his debut went, the interest in a second fight naturally dwindled with UFC 225 making just a reported 250,000 buys.

The manner of his second defeat also led many to believe it was the end of Punk's MMA career, at least in the UFC, and the 40-year-old seems to be acknowledging it as well, though he isn't closing the chapter just yet.

"Since my last fight, I've been juggling a half-dozen things," Punk told the Associated Press recently. "I kind of gave myself a deadline of the beginning of the new year to find out what is coming next. I don't rule anything out, absolutely not."

Since his defeat to Jackson, Punk has been busy with movies, TV shows and more, while he was recently announced as a new member of the Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) broadcast team. He will be providing color commentary for the CFFC card on Dec. 14 at the Borgata in Atlantic City.

"Somebody at home is probably thinking, 'Hmm, that's barbaric, I can't relate to that, I've never been punched in the face,'" Punk said of his new gig. "I kind of want to humanize everybody, get to the bottom of their story, who they are and why they do what they do."

While he ideally should have fought for a promotion like CFFC first before making the jump to the UFC, Punk has no regrets about how things went down.

"I did things backward," Punk said with a laugh. "I jumped in the deep end. But everybody's path is different. I do think there needs to be a feeder system where people can get their feet wet. … I was presented with an opportunity that, if I was talking to you today and didn't do, I'd regret. I absolutely do not regret my decision one bit," he added.

No CM Punk interview is complete without asking him about a potential return to wrestling.

Punk famously held the WWE championship for 434 days and was one of the most popular superstars on the roster thanks to his charisma and skills on the microphone.

He was so adored by fans that they still chant his name at WWE events years after his departure back in January 2014.

"You stop it [wrestling] and five years later people still talk about you? Fans still chant your name? That's powerful to me," Punk explained before ruling out a potential wrestling comeback. "I don't pay attention. People seem to get upset when I say that."