What’s the story?
AJ Lee recently made an appearance on Sirius XM's Jim and Sam show, during the conversation that she had with the hosts, she revealed that her husband CM Punk got “paid a million dollars” for “one night of working” with the UFC.
The first reports from showed that Punk had made $500k for the fight, but Punk may have possibly gotten a cut of the pay per view sales based on what AJ Lee has stated.
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In case you didn’t know...
CM Punk’s first MMA fight was at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio last September. Punk couldn’t last the first round as his opponent Mickey Gall tapped him out at the 2:14 mark with a rear naked choke.
The heart of the matter
It is very likely that Punk was able to negotiate a cut of the pay per view sales in addition to his fight purse. The number of buys for the event were 450,000; a figure that is deemed as a success, in terms of UFC buy rates.
Also read: UFC News: CM Punk wants to return to MMA whether it's UFC or any other promotion
The fact that Punk is a high-profile name, in addition to the story of him transitioning from the WWE to Mixed Martial Arts garnered a lot of intrigue with hardcore and casual UFC fans.
AJ Lee's full interview can be seen below:
What’s next?
Punk continues to hone is craft in mixed martial arts. He is presently trying to get a second fight with UFC, but no announcement has been made as of now.
Author’s take
The WWE fan in me wants CM Punk back really bad. I’m definitely not the only one, as over three years later, you STILL hear CM Punk chants at WWE shows.
In regards to the money he made for his debut fight, he deserves it. It’s clear that Punk isn’t a threat as a fighter yet, but it’s the name recognition that he has brought to the table, which is something that the UFC definitely needs, especially if they lose Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor.
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