We’re a little over a month away from former professional wrestler CM Punk’s UFC debut. It’s been nearly two years since Punk signed on the dotted line with the UFC, and some were beginning to doubt that he’d ever step inside the Octagon. Well, he is, and his first opponent will be the 24-year-old Mickey Gall, who made his UFC debut back in February. Gall has professional MMA record of 2-0, with both wins coming via submission in the very first round.
CM Punk has no professional or amateur mixed-martial-arts experience, which is why several people are predicting that he’ll end up being defeated rather quickly at UFC 203. Even Mickey Gall thinks that he’ll be able to finish Punk in just a couple of minutes.
The latest person to come out and predict that Gall is going to defeat Punk is UFC veteran Jim Miller, who told MMA Fighting that he doesn’t believe that the ex-WWE star stands a chance at UFC 203. Miller is also one of Gall’s coaches, which is obviously why he believes that Punk is going to lose on September 10.
“There’s a lot of pressure. [Mickey] handled that first fight fantastically. The pressure involved, coming in and having all this hype around him, he handled it great. There’s going to be even more for this one. Even though I think his opponent is less dangerous — he is taking a step down opponent wise — you can’t let the nerves get to you. Hopefully, he can keep everything in check. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. I think he will. I don’t think CM [Punk] stands a chance.”
Punk was originally supposed to fight Gall back at UFC 199, but Punk had a lingering back injury that required surgery, which caused the bout to be postponed. Some were predicting that the ex-WWE star would be making his debut at UFC 200, but he wasn’t able to recover in time for the event. It was finally announced last month that he’d be making his Octagon debut on September 10 at UFC 203 in Cleveland, Ohio.
According to the odds , Gall is listed as a slight favorite over Punk. During his appearance on the MMA Hour last month, Gall said that he was surprised that the odds were so close. The odds could, and probably will increase as we get closer to the fight.
‘The Evolution of Punk’ four-part documentary on #UFC203 ‘s CM Punk set for August 15th premiere on FOX Sports https://t.co/07WSW27X9D
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) August 8, 2016
It was reported yesterday that Fox is planning on airing a CM Punk documentary on August 15, which will document all of Punk’s training since he signed with the UFC back in December of 2014. It also documents Mickey Gall’s journey to UFC 203, which began earlier this year when UFC President Dana White discovered him at a local east coast show on Fight Pass’ Dana White: Looking for a Fight show.
Reports have come out that CM Punk has been struggling in training , which is one of the many reasons why his UFC debut has been held off for so long. But, it appears that he’s finally ready to step into the Octagon, because his coach, Duke Roufus, has often said that he won’t let Punk make his UFC debut until he feels that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is ready to do so.
Quite an honor to be on the #ufc203 poster. Right now I’m filming for the #UFCcountdown show. Fun stuff goin on #ufc pic.twitter.com/1mvgO557SU
— Mickey Gall (@mickeygall) July 28, 2016
According to the UFC’s official website , the CM Punk vs. Mickey Gall fight will be the opener at UFC 203, even though it’s probably the most anticipated fight on the entire card. However, the official poster, which is shown above, suggests that the fight will be third from the top, behind the two heavyweight fights on the card, which is likely where they’ll position the fight on fight night.
[Photo by Marc Serota/AP Images for Wreslemania File]
