During a conversation with TNT Sports at UFC 298, CM Punk delved into the reasons behind his departure from WWE, citing burnout as a significant factor, and elaborated on his decision to make a comeback a decade later.

He expressed, "I think it’s just time. Timing is everything. I wrestled for a very long time before I signed a WWE contract. I was on the road for ten years, zero time off. That takes its toll. I think one of the things that I never did before was try to balance everything out. I think a lot of fighters, a lot of wrestlers do that. Balance is kind of key. But when you’re young and you wanna go and you have to take every opportunity that comes your way, you can’t say no. Then after a while, you burn out. So I burnt out 10 years ago. I left. I did some other things. I got to do a lot of cool other stuff and then time heals all wounds. You slowly start to realize that a lot of the stuff that happened 10 years ago doesn’t matter. Different people come and go. Different people are in charge now. Maybe I can go back and it kind of fits like an old slipper. It’s good to be back and I’m super happy it happened. The way I came back and how big it’s been never could have been what it was without all the other crap. That’s just life. I woke up this morning, so it’s a good day."

"My heart goes out to Alexander Volkanovski, to me he's still a champion"

WWE superstar @CMPunk reacts after a blockbuster #UFC298 event and discusses his comeback from injury ✨

🎙️ @CarolinePearce pic.twitter.com/bEL5VbQNdS

, UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) February 18, 2024