CM Punk didn't get the result he was looking for when he lost to Mickey Gall by first-round submission at UFC 203 in September. He was making not only his UFC debut but also his MMA debut. The former WWE champion had never even been in an amateur fight.
Going back to when Punk first signed with the UFC in Dec. 2014, fight fans and wrestling fans criticized the move. Why would the UFC sign someone whose never been in a real fight? Maybe he should have taken a couple fights to get his feet wet and then jump into the shark tank known as the UFC.
Someone who has been successful in MMA is Alberto El Patron. The former WWE champion fought as Dos Caras Jr., and was known, at least in part, for getting violently knocked out in a 2003 fight for PRIDE by Mirko Cro Cop. Now, the Impact Wrestling star is back in the MMA realm as "El Presidente," the public face of Combate Americas, a Hispanic MMA promotion.
While he knows why the Chicago native signed with the biggest MMA organization in the world, El Patron feels Punk should not have made the immediate jump to the UFC and tried his hand in a lower tier organization to garner some experience before making the leap with the big boys.
"It wasn’t the result he was looking for," El Patron told Fightful. "The only thing that went wrong was he had no experience. That was his first professional fight. I know he was nervous because we all do. Every time you are in a fight, you are nervous to start with. And this is your first one ever with millions and millions watching you. And some (expletive) wishing you bad and to lose. Of course, you even get more nervous. I think that was his only mistake. He should have started in a different company, gained some experience and then jump to the UFC. I know the reason why he went to the UFC. He did it because he’s CM Punk. He has a huge name and millions and millions of fans. And that was the way to go after WWE. Straight to the main company when he comes to MMA for a substantial amount of money. It was good match for what CM Punk represents but I don’t think it was the right decision for what he was trying to do which was to become an MMA fighter."
Even though his former opponent inside the squared circle wasn't successful, El Patron felt Punk still did well inside the octagon.
"I think he did well," El Patron said. "Of course, the non-educated when it comes to MMA said he did horrible. Stuff happens in MMA all the time. You can get knocked out or submitted in the first seconds of the fight. That doesn’t mean you aren’t a good fighter or that you are an embarrassment to the business. I think he did well. He fought a young guy with a lot of experience. And the other fighter took advantage of that and capitalized."
