Mike Jackson wants another go inside the UFC Octagon, and he wants CM Punk to be the man standing across from him.

The Houston native stumbled in his inaugural showing on the sport's biggest stage against Mickey Gall at UFC Fight Night 82, a bout he's quick to admit he felt outmatched for.

Nevertheless, Jackson holds the same beliefs regarding what the former WWE star met head on at UFC 203 last September, and he believes Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, was doomed from the jump.

"Mickey trains with a solid camp and he's a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, so even from the get go I knew it was a bad matchup just because of his experience level," Jackson told FloCombat. "He was overmatched. Gall is developing his striking and is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. Punk is a guy who is maybe a blue belt at best with very limited striking. He was overmatched from the get-go. With me, it's the perfect scenario.

"Even though I believe he's overmatched with me, I present a different issue than Mickey Gall did. Mickey's plan was always to take him down and submit him, but that's not my approach. I'm going to try to beat him up on the feet, and that presents an opportunity for him, because anything can happen in a fight.

"I've also fought on the big stage, and whoever they are going to sign they are only going to sign for one fight because they can't sign someone with too much experience," he added. "We'll have to see what happens here."


Sep 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; C.M. Punk (red gloves) before his fight against Mickey Gall (blue gloves) during UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

With Punk wanting a shot at redemption and with all the special circumstances surrounding him being a UFC fighter, Jackson believes he's the man for the job. As a matter of fact, the Texas-based striker believes he'll provide a more accurate test and gauge to see what Punk has to offer inside the cage, and it's a service he's more than willing to offer.

"Every day I think of a new angle toward this whole thing with wanting to fight CM Punk," Jackson said. "When this whole thing started I was never guaranteed a shot at Punk, regardless of the outcome. I think it's a great way for [UFC President] Dana White to take because it never really closed the door. It was always Mickey Gall, and if beat me he got to fight CM Punk.

"I was never guaranteed anything, but Punk is saying he wants to get another fight, and this is a way to do it. This guy wants to get a fight and it's a revenue generator all around. If the UFC doesn't want to do it, then do it in LFA or something like that. I'm here and ready to take that fight.

"From my perspective, you have me, who is a striker who is going to come out to fight, and then you have the name value in CM Punk. If you don't want to watch it then don't watch it, but I guarantee you his fans are going to tune in and my fans the same. Fight fans in general are going to tune in."

While Jackson doesn't own a large amount of prime-time experience, he's been knee deep in the fight game for the past decade as both a competitor and a member of the MMA media. Wearing multiple hats has allowed Jackson to develop a unique perspective on the sport, and he sees a potential matchup with Punk for exactly what it would be.

And he has zero issues with those motives.


Sep 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Mickey Gall (blue gloves) competes against C.M. Punk (red gloves) during UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

"My outlook on life is different than a lot of people, especially when it comes to combat sports," Jackson said. "You get these people who are under the misconception this isn't a business. The UFC just sold for 4.2 billion dollars and a business' first objective is to make money. When you bring in someone like CM Punk, that's obviously a money grab. It's not about who is the best fighter, and who has the highest rankings; it's a money grab. I have no problem with that.

"This is a business, and you need money in order to survive. But you get these fans who are so upset about this. You would think they own a stake in the company themselves by how upset they are with this. These people are getting upset and they shouldn't even call themselves a fight fan because if you are getting an entertaining fight, then it shouldn't matter if they are ranked No. 1 or No. 50.

"I saw it recently when I posted the UFC Houston card on my site. People were getting pissed off and saying how sh*tty a card it was going to be. How can they say the card is going to be sh*tty and it hasn't even happened yet? Time and time again you get these guys who don't see a Ronda Rousey or Conor McGregor on a card and assume that card is going to be sh*t.

"I see it as a business opportunity and a money grab for everyone all around."

Jackson has started a full-fledged campaign to land a bout with the Duke Roufus-trained convert, but he's doing so without an official UFC contract.

When the race to find an opponent for Punk kicked into full gear, Jackson was brought in to face the upstart Gall. As it would turn out, Gall was the only one of the two guaranteed a bout with Punk on the line, and Jackson feels that scenario created an interesting dynamic for future opportunities.

At least that was his initial thought, because his time in the UFC came to an abrupt end on what just happened to be a special day on his calendar.

"They actually released me on my birthday," Jackson said. "I got the message and I was like, 'Wow...that's cold.' My fight with Mickey was about this time last year and my birthday is March 22. That whole time I had a feeling it would happen, but I thought if they were going to cut me it would happen right after the fight. We see it all the time on different MMA sites. They write an article on Monday or Tuesday after an event saying the UFC cut this person and that person.

"i  just assumed I was going to be one of them, but it didn't come. The next week it didn't come. Finally I called one of the reps I'd been speaking with to ask them what the plan was and they were like, 'Nah…You're still under contract.' That's when I started the whole Artem Lobov talk.

"I was trying to think of a fight that would be good for me at that time, and Artem fit. Even now, I still think that's a great matchup for me. I started calling him out and he even said he was down for it. Then three weeks later, literally on my birthday, I got a fuc*ing email saying I was released. That's some sh*tty sh*t."

[tweet url="https://twitter.com/TheTruthJackson/status/828996643626315776" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]

Although Jackson has nothing on his current schedule, the only potential fight he wants to see come to fruition is a bout against Punk. And in his mind, if Punk were smart, that's a fight he'd want to see happen as well.

Yet, all the potential matchmaking in the world makes no difference if the former WWE champion isn't game to return to the Octagon. With his debut a trainwreck of epic proportions, it would take some moxie for the Chicago native to give it another go.

Jackson believes Punk never stepped into MMA to be a fly-by-night decision, and feels a bout with him would provide the perfect opportunity for the former professional wrestler turned mixed martial artist to get a fair night of fisticuffs inside the Octagon.

"I really think Punk wants another fight," Jackson said. "Going into this I never wanted to discredit his intentions. I don't think it was something he just wanted to try out. I believe in my heart he was ready to commit to this. I have all the respect for the dude for stepping out of his world and taking a big step into another world.

"I feel he genuinely wanted to pursue this, but he didn't like the outcome of the first fight. The fight went a bit longer than I expected, but it's exactly how I expected it to happen. I think he wants to give it another shot."