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Report: UFC 'leaning' toward another CM Punk fight

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC / UFC / Getty

CM Punk's poor showing in his first ever MMA bout hasn't led UFC officials to rule him out of their future plans.

The promotion is "leaning" toward giving Punk a second chance to test his mettle in the Octagon, reports Jeremy Botter of FloSports.

Punk was submitted by Mickey Gall in a welterweight bout at UFC 203 that lasted just over two minutes. Punk was immediately taken down when the fight began and then pummeled for the bout's duration.

Another appearance might not be surprising, though, since Punk appeared to make a significant impact on viewership for the Sept. 10 event. According to one reported estimate, the former WWE main-event star was responsible for drawing in an extra 125,000-225,000 PPV buyers. That estimate is based on the prior track record of other fighters on the show's main card.

In all, the event drew at least 425,000 buys, good for the fourth-highest total of the year behind UFC 196 and UFC 202 (two shows headlined by megastars Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz), and the heavily promoted UFC 200.

If financial success wasn't reason enough for the UFC to consider a second Punk fight, he has also received praise and support from his new MMA peers.

On a recent episode of "UFC Tonight," light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said he believes Punk will win a UFC fight if he gets the chance to develop on the regional scene first. And Chael Sonnen told Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour" that Punk was right back in the gym the Monday after his loss.

UFC president Dana White has suggested that Punk's next fight might take place outside the Octagon, but it appears that he's at least open to changing his mind.

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