Mickey Gall Opens as Betting Favorite Against UFC Newcomer CM Punk

Mickey Gall doesn’t exactly have a wealth of experience in mixed martial arts, but he has more than enough to be deemed the favorite against Octagon rookie CM Punk.

According to odds recently released by Bovada.lv, Gall has opened as the favorite at -300, while Punk is listed at +230. Gall earned the right to face Punk by submitting Mike Jackson via rear-naked choke 45 seconds into their encounter at UFC Fight Night “Hendricks vs. Thompson” in Las Vegas this past Saturday. The betting line for Gall vs. Punk is likely to change as their fight draws near.

UFC President Dana White, who discovered Gall on his reality series “Looking for a Fight,” said that the promotion was initially targeting UFC 199 in June as as a potential landing spot for the matchup.

Gall’s victory over Jackson was just his second professional mixed martial arts triumph, as he debuted last November, choking out Ron Templeton at a Dead Serious MMA event. Punk, a former WWE superstar, signed with the UFC in December 2014 and has been training at Roufusport in Milwaukee in preparation for his Octagon -- and MMA -- debut.