MMA
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Ex-WWE star CM Punk to make second UFC appearance

MMA, WWE

Former professional wrestling star CM Punk will make his second appearance in the UFC on June 9 in Chicago.

UFC announced the long-rumored bout on Thursday. Punk, whose birth name is Phil Brooks, will face Mike JacksonĀ in a welterweight fight at UFC 225 at United Center.

Punk (0-1) has been hinting at a UFC return for months. The former WWE wrestler trains out of Milwaukee but lives in Chicago.

Punk, 39, made his mixed martial arts debut at UFC 203 in September 2016. He had no MMA experience when he signed a deal with the UFC in 2014 and was quickly choked out by Mickey Gall in his highly anticipated debut.

Despite initially expressing some doubt about booking Punk in another fight, UFC president Dana White has opted to give him another shot.

Jackson (0-1) was actually a small part of the original Punk experiment. The Houston native fought Gall in February 2016, when Punk suffered an injury that delayed his debut. Had Gall lost, Punk would have likely faced another opponent in his debut, but Gall ended up submitting Jackson in just 45 seconds.

A middleweight title bout between Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero is scheduled to headline the UFC 225 pay-per-view event.

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