CM Punk raises Mickey Gall's hand after he was beaten in their UFC 203 encounter. (Photo : Getty Images/Rey Del Rio)
It could be argued that before the start of the year next to no one knew who Mickey Gall was. Although undefeated, he had only won 4 fights in his career, with 3 of his wins coming in the UFC. However, since his debut in the UFC he has slowly been crawling up the rankings beating a couple well-known fighters in the process.
While still young, Gall is already being touted by none other than UFC president Dana White to make waves in the welterweight division. It is being said that White "likes what he sees" in the currently undefeated welterweight prospect, MMA Junkie reported. The fact that he only had one fight in another MMA promotion prior to being called up by the UFC is another testament to his potential as well as his current skillset.
Gall had a record of 3-0 as an amateur; he had his first professional contest in the Dead Serious MMA promotion against Ron Templeton. He won the fight via submission and was subsequently featured on Dana White's "Looking for a Fight," earning him a lucrative contract with the UFC.
In his debut in the UFC he squared off against professional newcomer Mike "The Truth" Jackson (0-1 in professional MMA). In the fight, which was featured on UFC Fight Pass, Gall was able to dispatch Jackson a mere 45 seconds into the very first round of their fight.
Gall's next fight was against retired professional wrestler Phil Jackson, who is perhaps better known by fight fans as "CM Punk." The fight took place on Sep. 10, 2016 and again Gall won the fight in the first round. This time, he once again showcased his grappling skills, winning for the third consecutive time via rear-naked choke.
After his win against CM Punk, Gall went on to defeat fellow prospect Sage Northcutt just a few months later. Again, he won this fight via submission utilizing a rear-naked choke.
It has not yet been confirmed who Gall's next opponent will be. He has called out retired fighter Dan Hardy who has not stepped inside the ring in four years. However, Hardy has declined to square off against Gall.
"I'm not looking at knocking off a future contender that I'm possibly going to commentating for in the future. And at the same time, if I was going to fight, I want to fight a veteran," Hardy told the MMA Hour. "I want to fight someone who's had 20, 30 fights, who's matured in their game and is sure of their fighting style, rather than someone who's still developing. I like to see the development of these young fighters and I don't want to interfere with that in any way. I'm 10 years older."
Watch the highlights of Mickey Gall's victory over Sage Northcutt here:
