Some of the mixed martial arts (MMA) community loved the fact that former WWE superstar CM Punk was more-or-less demolished in his UFC debut by welterweight prospect Mickey Gall. Others in the MMA community hated that the fight was on a UFC main card at all—feeling that it damaged the credibility of top-level MMA that the UFC has become synonymous with. One thing was for sure, it seemed like no one was indifferent to the “CM Punk Project.” They loved it, or hated it. That, alone, is pivotal to what’s going to happen next.
Despite the beatdown, Punk affirmed that this was just the first bout of his MMA career, and that he would be back for another.