Mickey Gall is certainly not going to be quiet when it comes to talking about how he is going to beat his UFC 203 opponent CM Punk.
In a September 1 conference call, Gall said that he doesn’t see much in CM Punk’s abilities and predicts that the former WWE Champion will go back to his bad habits. UFC 203 will be Punk’s first pro MMA fight. Gall seems like a veteran by comparison. It’s his third professional fight and second fight as a UFC fighter.
“I’m not particularly impressed,” Gall said on a media conference call Thursday. “Just different things, the way he moves. I’m sure he’s improved tremendously, though, since most of that footage. But I know once we get into the fight, into the shit, those bad habits are gonna come out and I’m gonna be able to expose those.”
Gall did acknowledge the fact Punk has years of experience of competing in front of tens of thousands of people during his days as a wrestler, but at the same time, scoffed at the thought that that experience is actually an advantage.
“He’s been performing in front of large groups of people,” Gall said. “I’ve been fighting in front of large groups of people. Not these numbers, but it’s the same. I’ve had fights where I’ve had over 100 friends and family at a fight. I think that’s more nerve-wracking. It’s a different thing. We’re gonna be standing across from each other and, within the rule set, trying to kill each other. It’s a different thing, something I believe I have more experience in.”
The two will face off at UFC 203 on September 10. Fightful will have complete coverage of UFC 203, complete with round-by-round analysis of every fight of the whole card, which is headlined by Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem for Miocic’s UFC Heavyweight Championship.