UFC 225 could only get better.
Eyebrows were raised when two fighters with identical 0-1 records were given slots on one of the most stacked pay-per-view cards of the year but, while he looked absolutely dreadful, there’s no denying that CM Punk is a draw.
Punk, the former WWE superstar, was bloodied up and bludgeoned into a unanimous decision defeat courtesy of Mike Jackson, who is more accustomed to being behind the camera as a photographer and videographer.
Both men had been defeated by Mickey Gall in their UFC debuts and it only made sense to match them up together to decide who was the least bad mixed martial artist.
The first round saw Punk struggle at large stages on the feet as his wildness was no match for the technical and clinical strikes of Jackson, who has experience in professional boxing and kickboxing.
Unleashing the boxing. @TheTruthJackson #UFC225 pic.twitter.com/GuVbGy7tRb
— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2018
An exhausted Punk answered the bell for the second round and was jarred by a right hand before he pounced on one of the sloppier guillotine pursuits you’re ever going to see in a UFC contest.
From there, Jackson simply fell into a takedown and spent the rest of the round comfortably sat in Punk’s guard, providing little in the way of pressure but tapping away with ground and pound and nonchalantly dodging tired triangle attempts from the former professional wrestler.
Such was the ease with which Jackson was lighting Punk up, veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan even suggested in the third round, albeit jokingly, that ‘The Truth’ had been paid off to ensure the fight would go the distance as there was a sense that he could have finished it at any stage.
The Truth prevails! @TheTruthJackson #UFC225 pic.twitter.com/we1xlhtaeK
— UFC (@ufc) June 10, 2018
In the end, Jackson was content to ride out the clearest of unanimous decisions, with all three judges awarding him his first UFC victory by scorelines of 30-26.
While Punk, real name Phil Brooks, didn’t hang around to be interviewed after the fight, it seems almost unfathomable to think that he will be given a third opportunity in the Octagon.
With his 40th birthday approaching, he should walk away with his health intact and an item ticked off his bucket list because if he continues fighting, the man is going to get hurt.
