LAS VEGAS -- It took more than a year to announce, but CM Punk has an opponent for his first fight.
Mickey Gall (2-0), a 24-year-old welterweight out of New Brunswick, New Jersey, punched his ticket to a matchup against the former WWE pro wrestler by submitting Michael Jackson (0-1) via rear-naked choke Saturday. The finish took just 45 seconds. Gall hurt Jackson with a right hand early before jumping to his back and locking in the choke.
"He looked awesome," UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com in a text. "It doesn't get any better than that."
The result sets up a future meeting with Punk, birth name Phil Brooks. Punk signed with the UFC in late 2014, despite having no MMA experience. He has been training out of Roufusport MMA in Milwaukee for the past 13 months.
"This feels amazing," Gall said. "The last time I was on a mic, I was talking about one guy. I'm still talking about him. I'm hungry. Feed me CM Punk.
"I like to punch faces, and I like to choke people out. That's what I like to do."
The UFC discovered Gall in a web series titled "Lookin' for a Fight." White attended Gall's professional debut Nov. 21 in Philadelphia. Gall won that fight by first-round submission and used his postfight interview to call out the 37-year-old Punk.
No official date has been announced for the matchup, but White told ESPN.com on Friday that he expects it to take place at UFC 199 in June.
