UFC 203 is shaping up to be one of the biggest cards of the year. The pay-per-view features a heavyweight championship tilt between Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem in the main event and a pivotal HW clash between former champ Fabricio Werdum and Ben Rothwell in the co-main event.
The bout that is likely to sell PPV's, however, is the opening welterweight fight between former WWE sensation CM Punk and young prospect Mickey Gall. Punk, real name Phil Brooks, will make his UFC debut after almost two years' of delays and Gall will look to emerge as a star within the MMA sphere.
Punk, who signed with the UFC in 2014, has no amateur or professional MMA experience and has opened as the considerable underdog against Gall. Gall, a budding prospect who made a name for himself on Dana White's 'Looking for a Fight' reality series, is a -300 favorite while Punks' odds are currently at +265 (h/t Jonathan Bradley of FOX Sports).
Gall made his professional debut in 2015 and the 24-year-old impressed on MMA's mainstage against Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night 82. The New Jersey-based fighter finished Jackson just 45 seconds into the first round and faced off with Punk in the immediate aftermath.
UFC 203 will take place on September 10 at Quicken Loans Arena in Miocic's hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.