MMAFighting.com and Ariel Helwani are reporting that CM Punk will undergo back surgery to repair a herniated disc, and his debut will be delayed.
“My back has always bugged me,” Punk told MMAFighting.com. “Figured it was just wrestling sh*t. Turns out it was.
“It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t. I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy … nothing worked.”
This past Saturday, Punk learned that his first opponent would be Mickey Gall, after Gall defeated Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. According to Helwani, Punk was advised by his doctor right before the fight that he needed surgery, but Punk decided to keep that news for himself.
UFC had recently announced that the plan was for him to make Octagon debut this summer, but those plans will change now. Punk’s recovery post-surgery is expected to be four-to-six weeks so his intention is still to fight at least once in 2016. Punk noted his injury and surgery is very similar to the one former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez underwent last week.
“This is just a bump in the road,” he said. “I’m positive about this.”