In the midst of his seven-year professional wrestling hiatus, CM Punk decided to give mixed martial arts a chance when he signed up to compete for UFC in 2016. Unfortunately, the “Best In The World’s” stint with the company was short lived, with his career ending just after two fights, one of which he lost quickly in the first round. The main reason Punk struggled to survive in UFC was due to his age, and during a recent appearance on “Chef Donny,” the World Heavyweight Champion reflected on his disappointing MMA run.

“I mean, big learning curve. It’s just something I wanted to do because I love MMA so much. You know what I mean? I got offered an opportunity and I said yes, like that’s kind of how I live my life,” Punk explained. “I wish I started sooner, that’s the only thing I started so late, I was already old. It was obviously just kind of like a bucket list thing. I mean, it doesn’t mean I didn’t take it seriously. Trained my ass off, got into shape. Did what I could, but yeah I started way late … I think I was 35.”

Punk reiterated that MMA is a “young man’s game” and compared his experience in the sport to a football player starting in the NFL at an older age. Despite almost being 50-years-old, Punk has proved that he can still compete at a high-level in a WWE ring since returning to the company in 2023, with his matches against GUNTHER, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre being some of the best in the later stages of his career.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Chef Donny” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.