Former UFC Champ Recalls CM Punk Text After WWE Return: 'Let's Take Over The World'

CM Punk's WWE return in November marked the end of his nine-year absence from the company, a period that saw Vince McMahon completing the sale of WWE to Endeavor, resulting in the merger of WWE with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings, thereby uniting the two sports brands under a single umbrella for the first time. Punk's own UFC training campmate, Anthony Pettis, recalled a text exchange with Punk after his WWE return, in an interview with "Sportskeeda MMA". 

"I text him right away and his response was, 'Let's take over the world, brother,'" he said. 

Punk trained with Pettis at Duke Roufus' fighting camp in Wisconsin while he prepared for his 2016 UFC debut against Mickey Gall. The WWE star lost against Gall and in a later bout against Mike Jackson before retiring from UFC and MMA. However, the Jackson result was later overturned to a no-contest when he tested positive for marijuana. Punk was also a guest at Pettis' MMA promotion, APFC, before his WWE return in November, but Pettis mentioned that the 'Second-City Saint' remained tight-lipped about his comeback, making it all the more surprising to see him.

"I was surprised like everybody else honestly. I had CM Punk as a special guest at APFC the week before they announced his comeback, and he didn't say anything about it," he revealed. "He didn't say nothing about it. [He's] one of the most humblest guys you'll ever meet, and one of the most hard-working guys you'll ever meet." 

However, CM Punk may not be done with MMA, as he has been a commentator for Cage Fury Fighting Championships since 2018. Wrestling Inc. recently learned that he was signed to a 15-year contract with 13 years remaining.