Mickey Gall, who holds wins over both Mike Jackson and CM Punk, was not impressed by the pair’s fight on the UFC 225 main card. Though he was quite excited to watch them go at it, he was ultimately disappointed with their bout.

“I was psyched for that fight,” Gall said in a recent interview with MMA Fighting (via MMAMania). “I thought they were going to lay it all on the line, really go for it and try and take each other out. I was disappointed in Michael Jackson. I didn’t think he had the urgency that he should’ve. I think he was a little lackadaisical. I think that fight went like 15 minutes too long. I was really disappointed in it to be honest.”

“It’s not the caliber we’re used to watching, of fighter, it’s not the high level you should be seeing on the main card in the UFC,” Gall added. “I get it, a lot of eyes and attention are brought by CM Punk. I benefited the most, probably, from the CM Punk thing. But I think it’s time – let the fighters fight. The real fighters.”

While Mike Jackson won his bout with CM Punk, he received quite a bit of backlash for his performance, particularly from UFC President Dana White. Gall says he understands the reasons for this backlash.

“Yeah I get it completely,” Gall said of the criticism Jackson has received. “He didn’t show urgency in there, he should’ve taken that guy out. If he was looking to prove he belongs in the UFC he didn’t do that. It was a one sided fight but it was competitive enough. He let him go the distance.

“When I fought CM Punk, I knew if he did one positive thing against me, I failed. I’d let down the whole MMA community.”

What do you think of Mickey Gall’s take on UFC 225’s CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson fight?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 6/23/2018.