Young prospect Mickey Gall talks being in the spotlight after just one fight in the UFC and says CM Punk should be scared of him.
Despite another injury delaying CM Punk’s UFC debut, Mickey Gall is confident the former WWE star will make the walk to the Octagon and do battle with him.
Punk, real name Phil Brooks, signed with the UFC over a year ago and was expected to face Gall at UFC 199 after the welterweight prospect submitted Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night 82. However, those plans were scrapped after it was revealed that Punk will undergo surgery for a herniated disc. The 37-year-old also suffered a shoulder injury in October and has been ridiculed by certain fighters.
Gall was informed that Brooks’ surgery wasn’t major and is excited to lock horns with the WWE fan favorite. He called out Punk after submitting Ron Templeton on Dana White’s Looking for a Fight series and was signed to the UFC shortly after.
Gall believes he is now known as ‘that CM Punk guy’ but doesn’t think the reputation will last.
“I don’t think anything’s guaranteed, but I do have a longer contract than just to fight CM Punk,” Gall told MMA Fighting. “My thing is, right now I’m ‘that CM Punk guy.’ I’m that guy that’s fighting CM Punk. I will not be remembered as ‘that CM Punk guy.’ By this time next year, I don’t think I’ll be known as that. I called out CM Punk because I wanted to be a UFC fighter. I wanted to be in the UFC. I wanted to excel there. People will forget that I fought CM Punk.
“I stack up great. For years, I’ve been handling myself with UFC fighters. I’ve been training with Jim and Dan [Miller]. I’ve trained with Camelo Marrero, Charlie Brenneman, Rafaello Oliveira. I handle myself. I do my thing. I know I can handle myself with the best in the world. I’m of that caliber.”
After defeating Mike Jackson last weekend, Gall squared off with Punk in the Octagon. The New Jersey product believes reality hit home for Brooks after the bout and says he should be scared of him.
“He [Punk] picked [journalist] Ariel [Helwani] up!” Gall said. “I don’t want to say I scared him. I think he should be scared. I’m sure when he saw what I did his stomach probably dropped a little bit. He got that feeling of, ‘Alright, this is going to happen. It’s real now.'”
While UFC 199 is now out of the question, Gall is hoping to face Brooks on the blockbuster UFC 200 pay-per-view in July.
“I think it’s just a four-week gap that we’re losing, and I think that could coincide perfectly with UFC 200,” Gall said. “That’s what I’m hoping.”