Mickey Gall spoils CM Punk’s MMA debut at UFC 203

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Mickey Gall spoiled the highly-anticipated mixed martial arts (MMA) debut of former professional wrestler CM Punk on the undercard of the UFC 203 pay-per-view event on Saturday, September 10 (Sunday, September 11 in Manila) at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

CM Punk, whose real name is Phil Brooks, was forced to wave the white flag by Gall with a rear-naked choke at 2:14 of the first round.

The 24-year-old fighter New Brunswick, New Jersey did not waste time to score a takedown from the get-go as he dragged CM Punk to the canvas before he quickly transitioned into side control to deliver short punches.

As Gall leaned across his opponent’s body with a crucifix, CM Punk had no choice but roll on his belly and give up his back to his aggressive foe, who quickly latched on a rear-naked choke.

CM Punk rolled to his knees to remove the submission hold and covered up as Gall pounded away with heavy blows to the head, with referee Keith Peterson keenly looking at the action.

With his face turning red due to the solid punches from Gall, CM Punk left his neck exposed, giving his cage counterpart an opening to lock the dangerous strangle again and get the tap.

Gall improves his prizefighting record to 3-0 with the impressive victory over CM Punk and has claimed his third career submission victory.

In his post-fight interview, Gall called out fellow welterweight stalwart Northcutt as he wanted to lure the Texan prospect into an Octagon meeting.

“Next, I want Super Sage Northcutt,” Gall stated. “I want to knock out the stupid spikes off his hair.”

Despite tasting a painful setback at the hands of Gall, CM Punk stressed that he has no regrets on his decision to trade his professional wrestling boots for 4-ounce MMA gloves.

CM Punk inked a multi-fight deal with the UFC in December 2014 after his surprising exodus from World Wrestling Entertainment in January of the same year.

“In life, it’s either you go big or you go home,” he said. This is the most fun I’ve ever had.”

Although he lost his first-ever professional MMA bout, CM Punk remains optimistic and plans to continue his career.

“I didn’t get to the summit today, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop. I will be back,” he vowed. – Rappler.com