UFC 203: 5 keys to victory for CM Punk

CM Punk isn’t expected to win in his debut at UFC 203 on Saturday, but what does he have to do to have a chance of getting his arm raised?

Both the main event and co-main event at UFC 203 have major implications for the heavyweight division, and still the contest under the greatest scrutiny in Cleveland will come with the debut of CM Punk before those heavyweights even enter the cage.

Having made his name as one of the superstars of the WWE, Phil Brooks, better known as CM Punk, will enter the world of unscripted combat for the first time as he takes on Mickey Gall in a Welterweight contest.

Since the moment Punk’s addition to the UFC roster was confirmed, the move has been met with significant doses of scepticism, and in some cases derision.

Virtually attempting to learn MMA from scratch in a short period of time wouldn’t seem like the ideal platform to enter the world’s biggest fighting organization, and as such conventional logic suggests that Punk has set himself up for a tough night on Saturday.

With an opponent that is far from proven in his own right, it may not quite be that simple though. The UFC has long since proven itself to be the realm where the unexpected regularly happens, and as such it would be remiss not to consider a timeline in which CM Punk pulls off an almost miraculous win.

If Punk is to somehow get his arm raised in his Octagon debut, what are the keys to him overcoming Gall?

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5. Draw On His Pro Wrestling Experience

Although charging out of the gates looking for a DDT wouldn’t serve CM Punk well in the world of unscripted fighting, there are positives from that experience that could certainly play to his advantage when he steps into the Octagon for the first time.

In his career as an athlete and an entertainer, Punk has grown used to the experience of performing in front of raucous, sold out crowds. As such, any nerves he feels when it’s time to fight will be centered solely on the contest itself, rather than the environment around him.

His opponent Mickey Gall, may have a different sense. Gall’s previous bout came on the prelims of a Fight Night card in Vegas that was poorly attended overall, so UFC 203 will be a very different prospect for the youngster. If anyone is going to be daunted by the scale of the spectacle, it won’t be Punk.

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4. Settle Into The Fight Quickly

It sounds like common sense, but if CM Punk is to have any real chance of winning he’ll need to establish himself early on. That’s not to say that he needs to be overly aggressive, but he at least needs to show Gall that in terms of skill and conditioning he has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with him.

With the build-up ultimately becoming a long, drawn out affair due to Punk’s back injury, Gall has had a long time to think about the fight. Perhaps even more dangerous is the fact that he’s had a long time to hear what everyone else has been saying about it.

If Gall has bought into the narrative of this being an easy fight for him and is already thinking of his post-UFC 203 rise, a solid start from Punk could quickly sow seeds of doubt in his young opponent’s mind making it a very different contest from there.

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3. Make Mickey Gall Uncomfortable

For as much has been made of CM Punk’s 0-0 record heading into the contest, Mickey Gall’s 2-0 isn’t much more impressive. Gall’s only pre-UFC pro opponent hasn’t fought since losing to Gall, as captured on Dana White’s Looking For A Fight, but even before that as an amateur his record was only 2-2.

Gall’s UFC debut came against Mike Jackson in Las Vegas earlier this year, but with Jackson making a debut of his own and more accustomed to covering combat sport as a photographer and videographer, there isn’t a whole lot that can be taken from that.

Gall has been training for this purpose for longer than Punk, but it’s fair to still have doubts about his skill level. Saturday night could prove that the difference between the two men is not as big as most believed, and if that’s the case, it will be up to CM Punk to test his opponent in seeing what he can and can’t do.

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2. Seize Opportunities That Come His Way

With Gall being far from a veteran of Mixed Martial Arts, the expectation has to be that if the night goes on long enough it’s almost an inevitability that he’ll make mistakes. The onus will be on Punk to ensure that he’s in a position to capitalize when those opportunities come along.

Gall is going to be determined to finish the fight and make a statement and that could create an opening for his opponent to do likewise. If the youngster from New Jersey is swinging for the fences, his cardio could come into question if the fight doesn’t finish as easily and early as he anticipated.

An emphasis on big shots could also leave him exposed to counterpunches from Punk, and regular viewers of the UFC will know that anything is possible in that scenario. Likewise, if Gall gets overly aggressive on the ground, all it may take is an exposed neck. If CM Punk can hold his own, he’ll have chances to win and his responsibility will be to take them.

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1. Come To Fight

In making the walk and entering the cage alone, Punk is going to gain a lot of new respect from people who mocked his decision to move from WWE to UFC in the first place. With expectations for his performance at rock bottom, there’s no real pressure for the Chicago native though, and as such he should feel free when he competes.

So, after an almost two-year long buildup and after battling back through injuries to get here, there’s perhaps nothing more important for Punk than to step into the Octagon confidently and engage with Mickey Gall.

If the referee starts the fight only for Gall to charge forward and Punk to back up, the outcome would quickly become inevitable. On the other hand, if Punk can enter the cage and initiate a game plan that involves him looking to land shots or shoot for takedowns, it then becomes a real fight. In that domain, anything can happen. The UFC seems to deliver at least one big upset on every card, so why can’t it be a CM Punk win this time out?