CM Punk's Scheduled UFC Opponent Fires First Promotional Salvo

By Jay Anderson / March 31, 2016

While CM Punk eagerly awaits the results of recent back surgery, and hopes to fight this year, perhaps in Madison Square Garden, his opponent, Mickey Gall, has fired the first salvo in the promotional game. And he aimed for an easy target in attacking Punk's background as a professional wrestler. While Punk might be used to this by now, it will no doubt set off another round of debate among fans, with some siding with Gall and others seeing merit in Punk's transition to a more legitimate sporting contest. In any case, said Gall of Punk's pro wrestling past,

I think wrestling is entertaining. I used to be a big fan of it when I was a kid . They do some cool stuff but I think it does not even compare to MMA. MMA is real, that stuff , the falls and slams are real but it's all fake, it's all pretended, it's like athletic acting.

Point Gall. Wrestling can be entertaining, many people were fans but later outgrew it, the falls and slams are real, but at the end of the day, the outcome is pre-determined. Sure, Gall said the dreaded "f" word (fake, not that other one), but he's not wrong. Athletic acting actually might be the best way to describe the business. It sure as heck beats "sports entertainment." Gall, however, didn't stop there. He launched another attack at CM Punk's skills as a fighter, and while these are a little harder to back since Punk has never had a professional fight, that very fact - the lack of experience - lends credibility to Gall's words.

I haven't seen much of CM Punk but I'm very confident that he is not as good as me any area. I don't think he is a legit UFC talent. He could be a tough guy and I'm sure he is a talented guy but I don't think he could acquire the skills that I have in such a limited time that he had put into it.

In MMA, it always comes down to two things: innate ability, and the time fighters put into the sport. Days, weeks, years. Punk hasn't exactly shown any crazy innate ability for MMA. In fact, what we know of his wrestling career suggests the opposite: he was a guy who put in long, hard hours and worked to perfect his game. He was dedicated, to his credit, but he wasn't exactly a natural. If the same holds true for MMA, he may have a long hard road (or a short bloody one) ahead of him. Both lead to defeat, however. As for Punk's current injury, which has him on the shelf likely for another few months?

I hope that is healthy so that we could fight. I hope it is being handled properly by his team.

Don't we all.