The who, when, and where of CM Punk's long-discussed UFC debut are slowly coming to light.
UFC president Dana White was a guest Friday on Boston's Toucher & Rich show, and when asked about a timetable for Punk's unveiling, White revealed that the UFC is targeting a June date, rather than a July 9 showcase at UFC 200, as many have suspected.
"The CM Punk fight is probably going to be in June," White said. "UFC 199 is what I'm thinking."
The news arrived two days after White revealed that Mickey Gall (1-0), the 23-year-old New Jersey welterweight who called out the former professional wrestler on White's Looking for a Fight series, holds pole position in the Punk sweepstakes. Gall faces MMA rookie Michael Jackson on Feb. 6 at UFC 196, with a win expected to get him the lottery ticket that is a fight against Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks.
By the time June hits, 18 months will have passed since Punk stunned the sporting world by signing to the UFC with virtually no background in mixed martial arts. With the exception of a shoulder setback suffered in late-2015, Punk has trained at Milwaukee's Roufusport camp under the tutelage of head coach Duke Roufus in preparation for the bout.
If all holds to plan, Punk will be 37 years old when he makes his Octagon and MMA debut.
"The guy has never fought, he just started training and, you know, this is a tough business to get into," White said. "When Brock Lesnar came into the UFC, he had a serious wrestling pedigree. And not just WWE wrestling. Legit collegiate wrestling. CM Punk doesn't have any of that, so it's going to be tough for him."