CM Punk ditched the squared circle for the Octagon, but he may be looking too far ahead already.
The former WWE Superstar-turned-UFC fighter has already had his MMA debut pushed back on a few different occasions, so right now it's in his best interest to stay focused on his first fight.
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Despite this, Punk has guaranteed that he'll have more than one bout, but he should probably wait until his debut is over to determine that.
"I can't honestly answer how many [fights] I'm gonna have," Punk told The Sun. "We'll wait and see how the first one goes. But there's gonna be eight, at least."
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To get through eight, he has to have at least one. So far, it's been over a year since he signed with the UFC and he still hasn't gotten in the cage.
It appears he's closing in on his first fight as well, as UFC president Dana White revealed that if relative unknown Mickey Gall, 23, out of New Jersey defeats Michael Jackson at UFC 196, he'll meet Punk at a later date.
Until that meeting happens, Punk should stay focused on his debut. The "Best in the World" signed with UFC in December 2014 and originally planned to have his first fight by the end of 2015.
Punk then pushed it back, stating he wanted to be 100 percent ready before making his debut, setting his target for early 2016.
The grappler suffered a setback while training out of Roufusport in Milwaukee, pushing his debut back even further, and a date for the highly-anticipated bout has yet to become known. Punk may plan on having at least eight fights, but at age 37, these delays may eventually cost him his goals.
The former WWE Champion realizes he has a lot of naysayers, but he said it only helps to further motivate him.
"I expect people to be disappointed," Punk said of his doubters. "I expect all those people that think I'm gonna get knocked out in 10 seconds to be disappointed. I expect people to bet against me and lose their money. I expect people to get divorced because they're upset that their wife wanted me to win and they wanted me to lose, you know?"
The only way they can be disappointed is if Punk actually gets in the Octagon -- and beats his opponent.
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