Let the slow burn for CM Punk's first opponent begin.
Nothing is official, but New Jersey-based welterweight Mickey Gall is gunning for a meeting with the WWE superstar-turned-MMA fighter.
Gall doesn't just want a quick payday either. He believes he'll be the one to introduce Punk to the harsh realities of the cage.
"I think when he gets in there and he has me coming at him looking to kill him, I don't think he'll be able to handle it," Gall told MMAFighting.com's Hunter A. Homistek. "He's a professional wrestler, and he's great at that. He's made himself a millionaire doing that. But now he's stepping into a different world, and I think he'd be in a lot of trouble."
The 23-year-old has made himself a viable candidate with his appearance on UFC president Dana White's web-based reality series "Dana White: Looking for a Fight." In the trailer for the show, Gall can be seen calling out Punk after securing a first-round submission win at a regional event with White in attendance.
Gall is 1-0 as a professional and 2-0 as an amateur, giving him the right credentials to be Punk's first MMA opponent. He now has to play the waiting game and see if the hype he's building for himself is enough to land the marquee fight.
"I haven't heard from Dana White. I'm hoping. I'm around," Gall said. "I think they're still trying to figure things out. Now I'm starting to get the buzz, and people are sending me these articles. My phone's been blowing up with websites posting how I'm probably going to be his opponent. I only hope."
