Duke Roufus says CM Punk will fight again, 'plethora of promoters' have reached out

Say what you will about CM Punk, the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion came to fight in his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut opposite the hungry Mickey Gall at UFC 203 earlier this month. Punk may have lasted just over two minutes, but he earned an ass whooping often needed early into fighting careers. The fact that the Octagon first timer banked $500,000 to get submitted in the first round doesn't hurt.

As Punk licks his wounds and plans out his combat future, or lack thereof, MMA pundits are left to discuss the aftermath of his UFC arrival. According to Punk's head coach, Duke Roufus, the 37-year-old wrestler-turned-fighter will one day reenter the cage.

"He's got some stitches (around) his eye and he had some cauliflower ear that blew up during the fight so he has to get those healed up," said Roufus in a recent interview with Sherdog. "I know he wants to get back on the mat and keep working. I had a plethora of promoters reach out to me but I'm not his manager. People have shown great interest in working with him."

While Punk may be eager to get back to action and prove he has more to offer than what he showed in his defeat to Gall, Roufus believes he must take his time before he dives in head first, again.

"The game is faster, stronger, more explosive in the Octagon and that's the lesson that I think he learned the most, is to train more and work harder," added Roufus. "I think we're going to see him do some jiu jitsu tournaments to get some more competition rounds in as well... I think he's going to (fight again).

Whether or not Punk decides to fight again, he may not have a home in the biggest MMA promotion in the world. UFC president Dana White said so.