Half a million dollars for half a punch: CM Punk lands bumper payday at UFC 203

CM Punk may have been the loser in his bout with Mickey Gall at UFC 203 at the weekend, but he was the clear winner when it came to his paycheque.

The former WWE’s superstar’s first foray into professional mixed martial arts saw him bank a cool $500,000 for his 134-second submission loss to Gall. That’s a handy $3,731 A SECOND.

Zuffa LLC

CM Punk got beat badly, but paid handsomely[/caption]

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Battered: Mickey Gall hammered CM Punk with ground strikes before eventually submitting him[/caption]

In that time, Punk threw half a punch, as Gall immediately ducked under the wrestler’s half-hearted strike and took him to the mat.

Once there, the young New Jersey welterweight battered Punk – real name Phil Brooks – with ground strikes before locking up a rear-naked choke and forcing the ex-pro wrestler to submit in a shade over two minutes.

For his part in the bout, Gall earned just $30,000, with half of that figure being his win bonus.

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CM Punk’s notoriety from his WWE days meant he earned $470,000 more than the man who beat him, Mickey Gall[/caption]

Punk wasn’t the biggest earner in Cleveland at UFC 203, however, with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic banking $600,000 for his win over Alistair Overeem, who took home the biggest paycheque of the night with a cool $800,000.

But after his one-sided loss on his Octagon debut it looks unlikely that Punk will get a similar payday again in the UFC, with UFC president Dana White telling Canadian TV station Fight Network after the event that the 37-year-old should perhaps have his next bout at a lower level.

“He probably shouldn’t have his next fight in the UFC,” he explained.

“Just like I said with Brock (Lesnar), having your first fight in the UFC is tough and you see it tonight, even if it’s with a guy who’s 2-0.

“This is a tough place to learn.”