After the 24-year-old New Jersey product blitzed Mike Jackson at UFC Fight Night 82 via first-round submission, all signs pointed toward a UFC 199 matchup with CM Punk as his next step inside the Octagon.
Then, news broke that Punk, nèe Phil Brooks, elected to undergo back surgery, delaying their showdown.
"[My first reaction was] 'Oh, s--t. Uh-oh. What’s going to happen now?'" Gall told MMA Fighting. "There was that second where everything was just kind of up in the air. I just had a bunch of texts, like, ‘Sorry, bro.’ ‘Sorry, buddy.’ He pulled out.’
"Then we got in touch with [UFC President] Dana [White].