Although both men shared the Octagon at UFC 203, CM Punk and Mickey Gall had very different motivations going into the bout.
Punk, a former WWE world champion, was determined to prove the critics wrong by making making an impression in his MMA debut. Gall, a 24-year-old Brazilian Jiu Jitsu brown belt already with a wealth of experience in the gym, wanted to make a name for himself and prove his own worth.
As many predicted, Gall thoroughly outclassed Punk and submitted the 37-year-old in the first round. The welterweight prospect called out 20-year-old Sage Northcutt in the post-fight interview, while Punk -- real name Phil Brooks -- vowed to persevere and continue fighting. Dana White, however, has stated that his next fight is not likely to be in the UFC.
Michael Bisping, who didn’t watch the fight live, says he has respect for both men and started off by commending Punk.
“I never saw the fight, because I was in England, and I didn’t want to stay up until 5AM to watch it,” Bisping posted on Champions.co. “I read the reports and I know how it went down. I’ve got to say, I respect CM Punk. I respect anyone that’s got the balls to step in there and fight, especially with everybody wanting him to lose. Every fighter in the sport wanted him to lose, they really did.
He was in a terrible position, under immense pressure, and unfortunately for him, my fears about how the fight would likely go were correct. That’s an incredibly hard place to start your MMA career; in the UFC, on the main card of a PPV…that’s a tough ask for anybody.”
‘The Count’ then gave praise to Gall, stating that the New-Jersey-based fighter could be a serious contender in a couple of years.
“On the flip side, Mickey Gall could be a contender in a couple years,” Bisping continued. “He can work on his skillset and fine tune a few things. Well done to Mickey, and well done to CM Punk, too. He handles himself with class after the fight, and he actually had the balls to go out there and pursue his dream.”
Since Gall’s callout of Northcutt, ‘Super’ Sage has responded and is willing to fight in December.
Punk’s coach, Duke Roufus, has said a ‘plethora’ of promoters have expressed an interest in signing the ex-WWE star.
Bisping captured the middleweight title by knocking out Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 and will defend it against Dan Henderson at UFC 204. The pay-per-view takes place on October 8 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.
