Surprise! CM Punk Is A Sizeable Underdog Against Mickey Gall
After more than a year-and-a-half of waiting and speculating, former WWE champion Phil “CM Punk” Brooks finally has his first UFC fight set against up-and-coming prospect Mickey Gall at September 10’s UFC 103 pay-per-view (PPV) event from Cleveland, Ohio.
Punk was revealed as having signed with the UFC at December 2014’s UFC 181 after a massively successful run in pro-wrestling, and he immediately began appearing at seemingly any and all UFC-related event and/or press conference.
His training was supposedly going well at Milwaukee’s Roufusport, but then Punk suffered a setback in the form of shoulder surgery that delayed his progress, which had already been hindered by coach Duke Roufus‘ declaration that he was not fight ready. Apparently the oddsmakers in Las Vegas agree with that assessment, as Punk has opened as a sizeable +240 underdog according to BestFightOdds.com.
Gall is a -300 favorite as a relatively inexperienced 2-0 professional MMA fighter. He recently made his UFC debut by submitting boxer Mike Jackson at February’s UFC 182, earning him the right to face Brooks after he was discovered by Dana White on his “Looking For A Fight” show in November last year.
Many believe that the younger, less worn Gall will run through the 37-year-old Punk with ease. The overarching belief is that Brooks has simply put his body through too many injuries and the wear-and-tear of a grueling full-time pro-wrestling schedule, and additionally has no actual nor relevant mixed martial arts experience on his record.
He’ll have his chance to prove his many doubters wrong on September 10, but if you believe what the books are telling you, the odds just aren’t in favor of that happening.
