[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag]’s UFC career has not played out in typical fashion.
He earned a contract on “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” after just one pro bout and called his shot by asking to fight CM Punk.
Gall (6-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) had a big 2016 with three first-round finishes over Punk, Mike Jackson and fellow rising star Sage Northcutt.
While things have recently slowed down a little for him, Gall still has big aspirations. He’s 2-2 in his past four fights, but has seen a significant jump in level of competition. His most recent win came over Salim Touahri this past August.
Gall was given a big opportunity after that against former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit in December, but Condit was forced out due to an eye injury and the fight was subsequently canceled.
He was then matched up with Alex Oliveira at UFC on ESPN+ 27 in Norfolk, Va., but for undisclosed reasons, the fight was pulled. Instead, Oliveira was booked to face Max Griffin at UFC 248 soon after.
Gall said he was never even given a reason why the fight didn’t materialize.
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“The UFC told me there was some problems and it wasn’t coming to fruition, and then it was weird how he was able to book a fight like a week or two after,” Gall told MMA Junkie. “So I don’t really know what happened. Some things, you’re kind of kept in the dark about, but it’s all right. Who knows who my next one is going to be. I’m ready. If they want to do one in the arena with no fans or whatever, I’ll be ready to fight.”
With the coronavirus outbreak currently sweeping the world, UFC 249 is in jeopardy, and it’s unknown when the promotion’s next event will take place, making it difficult for Gall to pinpoint an exact date of return.
But he’s aiming high, looking to climb the 170-pound rankings.
“I’d imagine I’d probably fight one more person out of the top 15, but if they offer me a top 15 (opponent), I’d be all over that, too. But I don’t really know,” Gall said. “I’m not really sure. The Condit one would have been fun, but I’m not really worried about that one anymore. I don’t know if that’s going to come to fruition at all. But whoever, pretty much. I’m not really feeling too picky these days.
“You always want a name. The bigger the name, the bigger the reward. But Carlos has been a little injury prone, so I don’t know if we make it there. I wouldn’t want to put all my eggs into that basket and then two weeks out, the fight falls through. But you know, it’s part of the game. It’s part of this sport. It’ll probably happen to me again. So I guess I’m moving on from that one, but whoever. It would have been an honor to fight him. He’s a legend and I hope he’s doing well.”
In the meantime, Gall has had access to his gym, training with a select few people to ensure everyone’s safety. He’s also been assisting at a soup kitchen that his mother now helps run, something he’s been doing ever since he was a kid.
With no fight booked, Gall has continued to work on his craft, recently spending time in Ohio with Matt Brown. Prior to that, he went to Donald Cerrone’s ranch to train, which landed him an appearance in Mark Wahlberg’s Netflix movie, “Spenser Confidential,” which Cerrone is also featured in.
Having not competed since this past August, jiu-jitsu black belt Gall admitted he’s considered competing in grappling competitions to stay active, but doesn’t want to divert his attention away from fighting.
“I absolutely keep that opportunity in the back of my head,” Gall said. “My focus is definitely on MMA, fighting in the UFC. It’s belt or bust for me, so I just want to work toward getting that belt. In time I know I’ll get it.
“(I’m) taking it fight by fight, but with the goal of being the champion. So I’d like to be in the top 15 within a year or so, get my chance, and get the belt. That’s the goal.”
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