Former pro wrestler CM Punk made his professional MMA and UFC debut at UFC 203, suffering a first round submission loss.
Duke Roufus serves as Punk?s coach and he claims the winless MMA fighter has improved since that first bout.
?200 percent [better],? said Roufus on The Luke Thomas Show. ?I?m not even his coach. We were friends first before we did this. I would not do this with anyone else except for my friendship with him from before he decided to fight. He?s just one hell of a guy. He?s a celebrity but he?s different than a lot of celebrities I know. Great guy. He works his ass off. He?s very well-liked on our team and he?s improved a lot.?
Punk is expected to return to action at UFC 225 against Mike Jackson, who is also winless as a professional MMA fighter.
Roufus even admits that Gall was a tough first opponent for Punk, especially since Gall has done well in the UFC since their encounter.
?Let?s face it, Mickey Gall was a tough draw,? said Roufus. ?He?s done quite well in the UFC so far. I think the UFC did the right thing. We don?t want to defame the sport or damage it by putting him in an un-legitimate fight. That being said, it?s very hard. They want him to come in and beat somebody, ya know??
UFC 225 takes place on Saturday, June 9 from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois with Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.