TORONTO - No stranger to calling out opponents from his days in the WWE, Phil (CM Punk) Brooks watched with interest as novice MMA fighter Mickey Gall pointed the finger at him.

Brooks, who has been in training for his UFC debut since signing with the promotion in December 2014, says Gall was smart to call him out at a regional show in November with UFC president Dana White in the audience.

"I'm an unknown and everybody kind of wants to cash in that Powerball ticket," Brooks said in a interview. "I'm like a human sexy trophy that everybody wants to win. So yeah, I think it's a wise decision by him. He had Dana front row for it, so he had the right audience and it's gotten him this far. So bully for him."

Gall's move was captured on video on White's "Lookin' for a Fight" web series.

"Hey Dana White, I don't know if CM Punk has an opponent, but I would love to fight that man CM Punk," Gall said in the cage after winning his pro debut.

White subsequently signed the 23-year-old welterweight, matching him against Mike Jackson (0-0) on the undercard of UFC 196 in Las Vegas. Should Gall (1-0) win Feb. 6, he will get his fight with the former pro wrestler.

Brooks is happy to move one step closer to an opponent.

"It gives you more purpose in everything you do every day and you focus in on something. So it helps," he said.

The 37-year-old Brooks, a Chicago native, has been honing his MMA skills in Milwaukee under trainer Duke Roufus.

Brooks, whose training was derailed for two months in the fall by a shoulder injury, says he feels "100 per cent stronger" than he was a year ago — "in all aspects."

"There's always going to be things I need to work on but just being there every day, being around all the fighters in training, it's upped everything. Especially my fight IQ, better understanding of positions and ring awareness and everything."

Gall, meanwhile, trains at the Miller Brothers MMA gym in New Jersey, home to UFC veterans Jim and Dan Miller.

"He looked good," Brooks said of Gall's first-round submission win in November over Ron Templeton. "And I know based on who he trains with that he is good.

"There's not a lot of video on him, but there's even less on me. So I like that."

Brooks comes to the UFC with a ready-made following thanks to his wrestling days. He has 2.46 million followers on Twitter compared to 1.09 million for featherweight champion Conor McGregor, arguably the UFC's hottest star at the moment (former bantamweight title-holder Ronda Rousey has 2.14 million followers).

"I'm super-anxious to get going," said Brooks, who is targeting UFC 200 in July as a possible date for his debut.

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