“But s**t happens and there’s a lot to learn in this sport. I know my skills; I can take anyone on any day. But I’m still learning on the job, learning how to make sure my best 15 minutes are when it’s my time to walk out and fight. I’m getting more reps with that, I get another rep at it this weekend and I’m ready to put on a show for my home crowd.
“I love it. I’m loving every day and I can’t wait for the next day.”
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The 27-year-old Gall sounds like he means it. He doesn’t have the glossy unbeaten record anymore, and with losses in two of his last three fights, his slate has gone from 4-0 to 5-2. But as he approaches his first bout in his home state of New Jersey against Salim Touahri this Saturday, he feels like he’s ready to make his mark again.
It’s nearly five months since his defeat to Diego Sanchez, a second-round stoppage that devastated the Green Brook native, and not just because of the mark in his loss column, but because by the time he made it to the Octagon, he was simply not ready to fight.
“I was super, super sick,” said Gall. “I was sick leading up to it, dehydrated, and it was just too much on me. A minute into the fight, I was zapped. I had no energy and it was a push the whole time trying to fight, trying to stay in there, but I was dead, less energy than I’ve ever had in my life.”
