UFC 225: CM Punk, ‘Fighter to Watch’ tonight in Chicago

You may be tired of reading about CM Punk and his mixed martial arts (MMA) experiment under UFC watch, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t intrigued to see the former WWE superstar step back inside of the Octagon.

That’s exactly what’s going to happen later tonight (Sat., June 9, 2018) at UFC 225 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside United Center in Chicago, Ill., as Punk takes on Mike Jackson after spending the last two years fine-tuning whatever weapons he has.

Even though Punk will never have enough time to fully immerse himself in years of MMA training, sparring, and professional competition, the 39-year-old has been given the gift of learning the ins and outs of fighting under the tutelage of head coach Duke Roufus. While Roufus is doing the best he can with what he has to work with, Punk has reportedly made significant strides in his natural progression.

Does that mean Punk is going to step inside of the cage this weekend in Chicago and finish Jackson in a matter of seconds?

Probably not.

But it’s going to be interesting to see what Punk has worked on over the past two years. His first bout opposite Mickey Gall at UFC 203 didn’t last nearly long enough to see what the former WWE star looks like on the feet or when he’s on the offensive. So hopefully Punk’s fight with Jackson at UFC 225 gives fight fans a bigger glimpse into his overall game.

UFC 225 will feature other prominent main card fighters like Robert Whittaker, Yoel Romero, Rafael dos Anjos, Colby Covington, Holly Holm, and Megan Anderson, but we’re going to be covering those fighters for years to come.

Punk, on the other hand, is not going to stick around forever. This may be his last walk to the cage, so it’s arguably the most interesting aspect of this entire card.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 225 fight card below, starting with the Fight Pass “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET.