When UFC 225 is held on June 9 in Chicago, it will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between champion Robert Whittaker (20-4) and No. 1 contender Yoel Romero (13-2). But the UFC is always looking to add more star power to their cards, and in recent days, a couple of potentially big draws have been given fights earlier in the night.
In terms of drawing non-MMA fans to the event, the biggest addition to the card might just be Phillip Brooks, who is better known by the name CM Punk. A two-time WWE Champion, CM Punk retired from professional wrestling in 2014, but has since pursued a second career in mixed martial arts.
Punk, Jackson Both Have Something to Prove
Punk’s first fight came in September 2016 at UFC 203, when he lost to Mickey Gall via submission by rear naked choke just over two minutes into the bout.
At UFC 225, he’ll head back into the ring for his second career fight, this time facing Mike Jackson (0-1) in a welterweight matchup. After Punk initially had to drop out of a planned fight against Gall in February 2016, it was Jackson who stepped into that bout, losing by submission in 45 seconds. That means both fighters have only one UFC fight on their record: a loss to Gall.
For Jackson, the fight gives him a chance to respond to comments made by Punk in the lead-up to that first fight.
“In the build up to the Mickey Gall fight, Phil [Punk] had the audacity to call me a can,” Jackson said on The MMA Hour. “I took that as disrespect.”
For Punk, this bout gives him a chance to put in a better showing than he did against Gall, when his poor performance led many to question whether he should be taken seriously as an MMA fighter. Even though Jackson also lost to the same opponent, and did so more quickly, he is still seen as the favorite in the fight. Paddy Power has Jackson as the 4/11 favorite, with Punk at 15/8.
Can Holm Bounce Back vs. Anderson?
Also added to the card was a women’s featherweight bout that will see former bantamweight champion Holly Holm (11-4) take on Megan Anderson (8-2). Holm became a household name in the MMA world when she knocked out Ronda Rousey in the second round of their bantamweight title fight at UFC 193. Rousey was 12-0 in her MMA career before Holm pulled off the stunning upset.
Anderson may not be as well-known, but she has credentials of her own. She hasn’t fought since January 2017, but has a four-fight winning streak and was formerly a champion in Invicta FC, an all-female MMA promotion.
In contrast, Holm has lost four of her last five fights. That stat may be misleading, though: those losses have come to elite competition, including Miesha Tate and Cristiane Justino.
This fight marks the first non-championship women’s featherweight bout in UFC history. The winner of the fight will be in excellent position for a potential title shot against Justino later this year.