After a spectacular performance by [MENTION=69329]Mickey[/MENTION]Gall, [MENTION=75134]cmpunk[/MENTION] now has an opponent! #UFCVegas https://t.co/sU1gct1OIo

— #UFCVegas (@ufc) February 7, 2016

After several months of anticipation and speculation, CM Punk fans finally got the announcement that they have been waiting for. At Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night: Hendricks vs. Thompson event, Mickey Gall defeated Mike Jackson with an impressive 41-second submission finish to officially become the opponent for the former WWE Superstar’s Octagon debut later this year.

Gall earned the opportunity to fight against Punk after calling him out live in the cage in his pro MMA debut in front of UFC President Dana White a few months ago. The scene was filmed for White’s new reality show, “Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight,” prompting the UFC to sign the MMA newcomer and put him in a preliminary fight with “the lottery ticket fight” against Punk on the line.



Following his victory on Saturday evening, Gall and Punk did a brief promotional stare-down in the Octagon and that too was filmed, so the UFC is already compiling a decent amount of video material despite the fact that Punk has no fights on tape — and Gall only has two, both of which were quick finishes. As a result, the UFC has to come up with non-traditional ways to promote the fight, which could be risky given the fact that MMA purists have already taken issue with a former pro wrestler getting to make his MMA debut in a high-profile fight in the biggest promotion in the world without any real martial arts background.

Regardless, Punk vs. Gall is now confirmed for this year, however it hasn’t been announced when or where it will take place. While Punk continues to make it clear that he would like to make his UFC debut at the landmark UFC 200 event in July, Dana White remains equally as consistent in saying that UFC 199 in June is more likely.