While wrestling fans eagerly anticipate his next move inside the squared circle, CM Punk has officially announced a surprising return to mixed martial arts. The ‘Straight Edge Superstar’ is all geared up to join the Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) broadcast team to call the action taking place in his home state.
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The seven-time WWE world champion and two-time UFC veteran will return to the commentary booth for CFFC 156: Stanford vs. Lewis on Friday, June 26. The event takes place in the Hard Rock Casino Rockford in Illinois, just outside of Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Punk has been a big part of the CFFC broadcast booth since 2018, staying on the mic during his retirement from wrestling, stint in AEW, and return to WWE in 2023. While his appearances have become less frequent, the promotion’s Illinois debut proved to be too good a chance to miss. Punk will reunite with CFFC General Manager and veteran MMA journalist John Morgan on the broadcast.
The MMA gig follows a lengthy break from WWE programming. Even though there’s still no official comeback date for Punk, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter believes that the current plan is to draft him to SmackDown to balance the rosters, with a potential feud with Cody Rhodes looming. A return on the July 6 episode of Raw in Chicago has also been widely speculated online.
His return to the commentary booth serves as a reminder of his divisive history inside the cage. In 2014, CM Punk joined the Dana White-led promotion, making one of the most high-profile transitions from pro wrestling to MMA. Despite having no amateur or professional fight experience, he trained full-time at Roufusport before making his debut in 2016, where he lost to Mickey Gall in the very first round via submission.
CM Punk returned in 2018 at UFC 225, losing to Mike Jackson in a fight that was later ruled a No Contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana, leaving Punk with an official record of 0-1 (1 NC).
Despite criticism for bypassing the regional circuit, ‘The Second City Saint’ has always stated that he has no regrets about testing himself in his late thirties. But with his return to MMA, many are speculating whether the WWE superstar would want to make his MMA return as well, especially after his recent cameo that grabbed the spotlight.
Could CM Punk Ever Return to the UFC After His MMA Return?
For CM Punk, a return to professional fighting is highly unlikely. But the rumor mill kept on spinning about his UFC return after he looked all jacked in an Instagram promotional video for UFC Rivals. The show will air back-to-back episodes on Sunday, June 21, at 8 p.m. ET, with Punk joining Miesha Tate, Michael Bisping, and Ken Shamrock.
However, his name truly began trending after WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Roman Reigns were seen attending the UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn.
The appearance immediately prompted fans to unearth an old 2018 clip of CM Punk from his UFC days, in which he attacked Donald Trump‘s first administration and stated clearly that he would decline a hypothetical invitation to Washington, D.C.
”Number one: I would not be invited. Number two: No, I would not go,” CM Punk told FanSided MMA back in 2018, shortly after the POTUS disinvited the Philadelphia Eagles from a White House celebration. “If David Duke invites me over for tacos, I’m not going to David Duke’s house, you know what I mean?
“Come on, I call it like I see it. A racist is a racist. I don’t care if you’re in the White House or you live down the street from me. Like, I’m not hanging out with you.”
Now, the resurfaced comments reflect a sharp divide within WWE. While CM Punk remains outspoken against Donald Trump, Roman Reigns has been open about his allegiance.
“I support our president,” he told Vanity Fair back in 2025. “Trump is one of those guys where he’s got a vast history and a huge background.”
Furthermore, Triple H and his family have close ties to the current administration, as the executive serves on Donald Trump’s newly formed President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. So, for now, it looks like there are higher chances of Roman Reigns making a UFC debut than ‘The Straight Edge Superstar’ giving it another shot inside the Octagon.
