10 Things We Know About CM Punk's UFC Opponent

9. Gall Has Age And Experience On His Side

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGUO7IeiyeY Mickey Gall is twenty-three years old, a stark contrast to Punk who is now 37. Normally, with bouts like these, it's age versus experience - but Punk doesn't have either on his side. A lot of people talk about CM Punk's transition to MMA and lack of fighting experience without really understanding that what is missing isn't just experience in fights, but years of training. Boxer James Tooney was a three weight world champ who infamously thought he could walk into the UFC and beat anyone he wanted. He was paired up with two weight class champ Randy Couture, who immediately took him down and pounded him out, making Tooney look the fool in the process. That's a world class boxer. Punk is a guy with no world class skills. The comparison people like to make is Brock Lesnar - but Lesnar was a freak athlete who was also a college wrestling champ at the highest level, and wrestling is a strong base for MMA. Same thing with Bobby Lashley. The best comparison is probably Dave Bautista, who won his only MMA fight but didn't look stellar doing it. Gall is no scrub and has looked solid in the cage. He has done well under pressure, so any edge Punk had from performing at the top of his former field may be gone as well.