CM Punk threw out the first pitch at Wrigley Field on September 23 wearing a Pete Crow-Armstrong jersey, and he delivered it like he was shooting a free throw. It got to home plate. It did not bounce. That is the nicest thing I can say about it.
Every time Punk steps outside a wrestling ring, from the CM Punk UFC run to a ceremonial first pitch, the same truth shows up. He is one of the best professional wrestlers of his generation. He is not much of an athlete. Both things can be true, and the second one does not take anything away from the first.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- The first pitch was rough: Punk pushed the ball toward the plate like a basketball shot at a Cubs game on September 23.
- The CM Punk UFC record is 0-1 with one no contest, after a first-round loss to Mickey Gall and a decision against Mike Jackson that was later overturned.
- The mistake in the UFC was the level, not the attempt. Punk needed opponents closer to his own experience.
- None of it matters in the ring, where Punk is still delivering the best matches in WWE on his way to Money in the Bank.
Table of Contents
The CM Punk First Pitch Heard Around Chicago
Johnny North knew this was coming the second he saw it. He was right. Punk did not throw the ball. He pushed it toward the plate the way you would shoot a basketball.
The king has no pants. Nobody ever played catch with you, Punk? You never played Little League? Somebody had to get him in a bullpen for twenty minutes before this. Johnny’s theory is that Punk knew it would not look good and just wanted to get it there. Fair enough. It still didn’t look good.
You can watch it yourself on MLB.com. I don’t want to see the cool wrestler guy throw a baseball that badly. It made me a little sad.
The timing was perfect for Chicago, at least. The Cubs and the White Sox both clinched playoff spots on September 24, one of the rare years both teams made the postseason. The only all-Chicago World Series happened more than a century ago. I would give the Cubs a better shot than the White Sox, but neither one is the favorite.
💡 Did You Know?
The only all-Chicago World Series was in 1906. The White Sox, nicknamed the Hitless Wonders, upset a Cubs team that had won 116 regular-season games, taking the series four games to two.
CM Punk UFC Record: What Actually Happened
Johnny made the connection immediately: it is fine for Punk to get beat up in the UFC, but the pitch was embarrassing too. Here is the full CM Punk UFC record, because the second fight gets forgotten and it shouldn’t.
| Event | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| UFC 203, Cleveland | September 10, 2016 | Mickey Gall | Loss, rear-naked choke, Round 1 |
| UFC 225, Chicago | June 9, 2018 | Mike Jackson | Decision loss, overturned to a no contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana |
| Official record | 0-1, 1 NC | ||
The Mickey Gall fight is the one people remember, because Punk got his butt kicked in the first round. The Mike Jackson fight was different. Jackson was much closer to Punk’s level, and Punk went the full 15 minutes. He lost on the cards that night, but he did not get finished.
Fifteen minutes in a cage is not easy. It is a dangerous game. Punk was pretty ballsy to go and try it. I would not want to do it at that level.
The Mistake Was the Level, Not the Attempt
Here is my read on the CM Punk UFC experiment. I don’t think Punk realized the UFC was actually going to throw him somebody halfway serious. Gall was younger, better, and far more experienced. If Punk had fought a guy making his own debut, somebody at his level, he might have had a real shot.
Johnny thinks he would have been better off starting in a smaller promotion. I agree. You don’t learn to swim in the deep end of the Major League pool.
Why do it at all? Money. Nothing else was going to pay him that kind of money at the time. Johnny argued he could have gone to Japan, and that is true, but I don’t think anybody in Japan was paying him what the UFC paid for those pay-per-view fights. It is hard to turn down millions of dollars, and who wouldn’t want to try one MMA fight?
📜 Historical Context
Punk walked out of WWE in January 2014 and was fired that June on his wedding day. He signed with the UFC in December 2014, spent years out of wrestling, came back through AEW in 2021 and returned to WWE at Survivor Series in November 2023.
That gap is the part that still hurts. We missed so much time of Punk in the ring. Johnny’s view is that Punk is an angry guy who holds grudges. Mine is that he was not treated that well by WWE. It’s complicated, and both of us are probably a little right.
Would I Fight CM Punk? Hypothetically
For the right money, sure. Straight jiu-jitsu, I like my chances. I’ve seen him fight, and he is big and strong, but he is not Randy Orton big. Randy would be a real problem. Punk carries some injuries, and I’m not sure how much he still trains. Under MMA rules, I’d call it a 50-50 shot.
I’m kidding. Mostly. I don’t actually want to. I might get hurt.
The Wrestler Is Still the Point
“Every time Punk steps outside of wrestling I go, you’re not really that great of an athlete, are you? But man, can he put on a good wrestling match.”
Dave Simon, Wrestling Uncensored
None of this changes what Punk is between the ropes. Two nights after the pitch, he beat Gunther and Finn Balor in the best match WWE put on all week to qualify for Money in the Bank. He has been on a run since he ended Sami Zayn’s title reign in July, and even when his promos run out of ammo, the matches deliver.
He turns 48 next month. Johnny thinks he has at least three years left, and I hope he is underselling it. I just want him to stay off the mound. For our take on how WWE has used him this summer, check our SummerSlam 2026 predictions.
Reality Check: Wrestling Is a Different Skill
The Reality: The CM Punk UFC record and the Wrigley first pitch teach the same lesson. Being elite at the performance art of pro wrestling does not make you an elite athlete in anything else. Punk was brave to try the cage, and he deserves credit for that. He deserves more credit for staying the best storyteller in WWE at 47.
CM Punk UFC and First Pitch: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CM Punk UFC record?
CM Punk’s official UFC record is 0-1 with one no contest. He lost to Mickey Gall by first-round submission at UFC 203 in 2016, and his 2018 decision loss to Mike Jackson at UFC 225 was overturned to a no contest after Jackson tested positive for marijuana.
Who did CM Punk fight in the UFC?
Punk fought Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in Cleveland on September 10, 2016, and Mike Jackson at UFC 225 in Chicago on June 9, 2018.
When did CM Punk throw the first pitch at Wrigley Field?
CM Punk threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field on September 23, 2026, wearing a Pete Crow-Armstrong jersey.
Is CM Punk in Money in the Bank 2026?
Yes. Punk qualified by pinning Gunther in a triple threat with Finn Balor on the September 25, 2026 SmackDown. Money in the Bank takes place October 10 in New Orleans.
When was the last all-Chicago World Series?
The only all-Chicago World Series was in 1906, when the White Sox beat the Cubs four games to two.
