Mickey Gall was not impressed with CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson.
I think it’s safe to see that Mickey Gall speaks for us all when he says CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson was ‘15 minutes too long’.
Gall, who choked out Punk in under three minutes at UFC 203, was originally excited for the former WWE superstar’s return to the Octagon at UFC 225 but admits that he was ‘really disappointed’ with the way things played out on the night.
The 26-year-old blames Jackson for his lack of urgency in finishing the fight.
“I was psyched for that fight,” Gall said in a recent interview with MMA Fighting, per MMA Mania’s Dan Hiergesell. “I thought they were going to lay it all on the line, really go for it and try and take each other out. I was disappointed in Michael Jackson. I didn’t think he had the urgency that he should’ve. I think he was a little lackadaisical. I think that fight went like 15 minutes too long. I was really disappointed in it to be honest.”
Jackson, 33, has also come under fire from UFC president Dana White for coasting to a decision and toying with Punk instead of looking for the knockout.
Gall, who has wins over both Jackson and Punk, understands the criticism and says fans were not used to seeing such a low standard of fighting at UFC 225.
“It’s not the caliber we’re used to watching, of fighter, it’s not the high level you should be seeing on the main card in the UFC,” Gall said. “I get it, a lot of eyes and attention are brought by CM Punk. I benefited the most, probably, from the CM Punk thing. But I think it’s time – let the fighters fight. The real fighters.
“Yeah I get it completely,” Gall said about the criticism towards Punk. “He didn’t show urgency in there, he should’ve taken that guy out. If he was looking to prove he belongs in the UFC he didn’t do that. It was a one sided fight but it was competitive enough. He let him go the distance.”
Punk vs. Jackson was the worst fight on the card and, after both men failed to impress, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see either fighter compete in the Octagon again.
