Why word-perfect Mickey Gall got it spot-on at UFC 203
'Looking For A Fight' prospect Mickey Gall claimed the scalp of CM Punk at UFC 203, but his biggest win came after the fight, writes SunSport's MMA reporter Simon Head
WELL, we finally saw CM Punk step into the Octagon for his debut on Saturday night at , but now the circus is over the attention should rightly turn to the man who so soundly defeated him.
Young welterweight prospect Mickey Gall was discovered by Dana White on his Looking For A Fight show and has made all the right moves to position himself to get into the UFC, then earn himself what was a gimme fight with the former WWE star.
It was a high-profile contest but, given the relative skillsets involved, it proved little more than a squash match - and CM Punk knows all about those.
Looking back at the event, I have to say it's turned out perfectly for the UFC.
Even if Punk had won, his age and lack of experience would have meant that he wouldn't be anything other than a short-term draw for the promotion. Gall, however, looks like he might have some staying power.
He looks the part, interviews well, has a great personality and, most importantly, when it comes to self-promotion he GETS IT.
Gall had TWO gameplans going into UFC 203. One for the fight and one for the post-fight interview.
Once he negotiated the former, he switched to the latter and delivered the perfect call-out of fellow prospect 'Super' Sage Northcutt, following up later in the night to call for the bout to be held at in New York.
It's absolutely the right fight for him to be chasing, and one that makes all the sense in the world. It's sellable, it's relevant and it's suitable for a fighter of his level of experience.
And you can bet the senior vice president and general manager of Eric Winter will be campaigning hard for that bout to be the featured Fight Pass prelim on whatever card it happens to fall on.
After all, they're the perfect matchup to help promote the success of the UFC's official streaming service, having both been built on that ever-growing platform.
What next for Whittaker?
The UFC's next visit to Australia now has a main event, and it's a cracker as UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold takes on old Strikeforce foe Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza in the November 26 headliner at .
It's a bout that has my friends in the Australian MMA media drooling at the prospect, and rightly so. But it also throws up the question of what the UFC will do with Australia's own middleweight star Robert Whittaker, who's quietly progressing into a serious contender at the top of the UFC's 185lb division.
With Rockhold and Jacare booked for the main event and Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort set to do battle in the co-main event at UFC 204 in Manchester, it'll be very interesting to see what the UFC choose to do with Whittaker.
Will they pitch him in with a higher-ranked contender like Yoel Romero, or will they throw him into the lion's den and match him with former champ Chris Weidman in New York City?
I think it's more likely that they'll put him in with former champion Anderson 'The Spider' Silva in what would be the perfect co-main event for Melbourne.
Remarkably, Silva hasn't officially registered a victory inside the Octagon since his light-heavyweight showcase win against Stephan Bonnar way back in October 2012 - a run of FIVE fights without a win.
He's suffered back-to-back losses to Chris Weidman, an horrific broken leg, an anti-doping ban and subsequent losses to Brit Michael Bisping and light-heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier.
But despite his chequered record over the last few years, Silva remains a huge draw overseas and the Australian fight fans - and the media - would absolutely love to see 'The Spider' on the Melbourne card.
A fight with local favourite Whittaker could prove the perfect scenario for all involved.
Stipe learning curve
The main event in Cleveland saw Stipe Miocic recover from an early scare to knock out Alistair Overeem and retain his UFC heavyweight title.
Colleagues in the arena told me the crowd erupted to Dublin-esque levels as Miocic finished 'The Reem' to successfully negotiate his first title defence.
His next bout must surely see him take on former champion Cain Velasquez, who looked like a million dollars in his one-round demolition of Travis Browne at .
The ex-champ lost his title to Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City, but many believe he went into the bout under-prepared for a fight at altitude, and it cost him his title. Now he looks back in form and ready to challenge for the championship once again.
Werdum himself had a chance to jump back to the front of the queue with a strong showing against Browne in Saturday night's co-main event, but his performance didn't leave anyone clamouring to see him and Stipe fight again.
But a battle between an in-form Miocic and a rejuvenated Velasquez? Now that's a different story.
The Brit Pack: Episode 8 - UFC 203 Review
Each week I join forces with fellow UK-based MMA journalist Chamatkar Sandhu to discuss the big talking points of the week in mixed martial arts.
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Simon Head is The Sun's MMA reporter. Follow him on Twitter
