Mickey Gall fearless ahead of UFC Newark: 'Can't be worse' than last fight

NEWARK, N.J. – Since Mickey Gall has stepped into the cage, he’s had a big spotlight on him, which is why his last loss to Diego Sanchez at UFC 235 – a fight in which he was controlled and finished – was a tough pill to swallow.

Gall went into that fight with failing kidneys, which compromised his performance. He was low on energy and overwhelmed by Sanchez, who scored the TKO win in the second round.

After having gone through that experience, Gall (5-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) believes it can’t go any worse for him, no matter how his next fight vs. Salim Touahri (10-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at UFC on ESPN 5 goes, which has given him confidence ahead of the Saturday clash at Prudential Center.

“Every time I get in that cage, I feel like I see more, I get more comfortable and anytime it goes bad, you learn a lot because you never forget it,” Gall told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s open workout session. “You’re embarrassed. You’re not happy, so I’d say being in there on my worst night – I probably should have been laid up in a hospital bed, but I went in there and fought – it makes me very fearless. It can’t go worse than that, you know what I mean?

“It’s not going to be my worst night. I’m not going to be sick like that again, so it gives me a lot of confidence. I’m feeling good, I’m feeling healthy. Going in there, I feel pretty fearless.”

Gall steps in on short notice when he takes on Touahri, seizing an opportunity to fight at home in New Jersey, a moment he wasn’t going to pass up.

“I don’t love anywhere the way I love Jersey,” Gall said. “I got my family here, my friends, my friends that are family. Jersey is my home, and I love it. I’m excited to represent and perform in front of these animals.”

“Salim is a tough kid, Polish kid, they call him ‘Grizzly,’ so I bet he’s going to be strong,” Gall added. “I watched him. I think he’s tough, everyone in the UFC is, but I think I’d take him out and finish him. You know what I do. I’ve been working hard, running hard, training hard, and I’m ready to go.”

And what has it been like for Gall during his downfalls? He’s definitely received more criticism than the average fighter has this early in their career, and it doesn’t faze him one bit. In fact, being in the limelight throughout his whole career is exactly the way he’d have it.

“It’s been interesting; it’s been a lot of learning, but I loved it,” Gall said. “I’m happy and willing to have my whole career be in the spotlight. I was in here after my first fight. I only had my first amateur fight a year before that, and if anyone can handle this, it’s me. I love it.

“I’m happy to show my growing pains in front of the world, and I know myself as a man, as a character, will continue to grow through this – not only as a fighter, but as a man. I’m going to keep growing. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Gall shares the UFC on ESPN 5 card with one of his idols, Jim Miller, who he grew up training with. Spending this training camp in New Jersey, Gall said he continues to learn from Miller’s experience.

“Jim’s been giving me advice since before I had my first amateur fight,” Gall said. “I’ve always looked up to him, him and his brother Dan, loved them like brothers, looked up to them like brothers. They’ve been really helpful, every time. I’m always getting knowledge from those guys.”

And his confidence has not been wavered. Despite dropping two of his last three, Gall continues to grow inside the octagon and has full belief that he can compete with anyone in the world.

“I know I can beat anyone at 170 on any given day,” Gall said. “What I’m doing, I’m learning through my cage experience. I’m trying to get the cage experience so I can make sure I’ll be that guy every time I get in there. You got to have your best 15 minutes when it’s that time. I know any given day I can beat anyone. Time will tell, you will see.”

“I’m going to beat Salim Touahri. I’m going to finish him. I like to go in there and murk people, take them out in a minute or two but I’m prepared for three (rounds).”