It takes a special kind of courage to do what CM Punk did on Saturday night.
Having made his millions in the WWE, Punk made the decision to walk away from what he knew best in 2014.
Fast forward two years and the 37-year-old was fighting professionally on a UFC pay-per-view main card.
After training the basics of MMA under esteemed coach Duke Roufus, Punk put everything on the line as he took his first ever fight.
Prior to his UFC debut, the former WWE superstar had no experience of combat and he didn’t get much this weekend either, as he was dispatched in just over two minutes by hot prospect Mickey Gall.
Many fighters, in the run-up to UFC 203, were hoping that Punk would be embarrassed so that it could be proven that dues must be paid if one is to succeed in the Octagon.
But plenty of the naysayers were won over by a man in his late thirties who put it all on the line to realise his dream.
The reaction was always going to be mixed.
Some took the opportunity to laugh at Punk’s expense.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha #UFC203
— Vinc Pichel 🇺🇸 (@FromHellPichel) September 11, 2016
You hear that Dwayne Johnson? Next time you hear you don't deserve the Wrestlemania main event, believe in yourself!
— “Filthy” Tom Lawlor トム・ローラー (@FilthyTomLawlor) September 11, 2016
They should keep Punk as the doormat for entry level guys to walk through.
— Kyle Kingsbury (@Kingsbu) September 11, 2016
So u wana be a fighter 😜!!! One and done I'd say…..
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) September 11, 2016
And just like that he finds out there's levels to this shit.
— James Vick (@JamesVickMMA) September 11, 2016
But the vast majority of fighters wanted to commend Punk’s bravery for even stepping foot in the Octagon.
! Respect Punks courage to put himself out there but there's a reason for armatures , Pros , ect . . gotta go thru the process like every1
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) September 11, 2016
CM Punk just earned his cauliflower #ufc203
— Louis Smolka (@LouisSmolkaMMA) September 11, 2016
CM Punk got a lot of heart for stepping in there #UFC203
— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) September 11, 2016
CM Punk should absolutely be respected. What a cool guy! Mickey Gall is a tough kid and he's smart. Excellent post fight speeches! #UFC203
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) September 11, 2016
@CMPunk lotta heart tonight. @mickeygall is the real deal. In a few years his name will still be making waves in @ufc kids gonna be around
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) September 11, 2016
congrats @mickeygall @cmpunk you win some and lose some #keepyourheadup
— Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma) September 11, 2016
No matter what anyone says @CMPunk got in there and went for it. He took some shots and fought a choke to the best of his ability. Respect.
— Andre Fili (@TouchyFili) September 11, 2016
I'll tell you this I respect @CMPunk more than anyone. Dude has the biggest balls ever. Much love brotha a true beast!
— Erik Jon Koch (@NEWBREED04) September 11, 2016
That went as expected. It’s tough to be in that cage though… and @CMPunk did something a lot of people wouldn’t. #UFC203 #FreshCauliflower
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) September 11, 2016
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