It’s a common refrain in the fight game that an athlete’s first loss can be a teaching moment infinitely more powerful than all of the collective wins that preceded it. It’s also a refrain that Mickey Gall can seem to agree with.
Gall has been out of action since suffering the first setback of his professional career in a unanimous decision loss to Randy Brown last November at UFC 217. After beginning his Octagon run a perfect 3-0 with high-profile stoppages of CM Punk and Sage Northcutt, the rough night at Madison Square Garden proved to be an eye-opening experience for Gall, a 26-year-old welterweight who is currently slated to return against George Sullivan on Aug.