Just days after CM Punk finally had his first opponent announced, his debut now seems to be delayed for the foreseeable future. Today news came out that Punk is scheduled to undergo back surgery on Wednesday. The surgery will take place in Chicago and will repair a herniated disc. Punk stated that he has long been suffering from back injury from his years as a professional wrestler.
“My back has always bugged me,” Punk told MMAFighting.com. “Figured it was just wrestling sh*t. Turns out it was. It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t. I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy … nothing worked.”
UFC fans learned on Saturday that Punk was to make his Octagon debut against UFC newcomer Mickey Gall (2-0), after Gall had impressed UFC President Dana White during an episode of the UFC reality show, Dana White: Looking For A Fight, after submitting Ron Templeton during a Dead Serious MMA event in November. After his victory, Gall got on the microphone and proceeded to call out Punk in front of White. White was impressed enough with Gall that he was given a shot in the UFC on Saturday at UFC FN 82 against Mike Jackson. With a win, White had stated that Gall would fight Punk in Punk’s debut match.
Everything seemed to go according to plan, Gall submitted Jackson in the first round, thus earning a shot at Punk. But with the news of Punk’s surgery, that fight may be put on hold for awhile, considering post-surgery recovery is expected to be four-to-six weeks.
But Punk has remained optimistic about the surgery and his delayed debut. “This is just a bump in the road, I’m positive about this.”
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