After wiping out CM Punk in just over two minutes at UFC 203, Mickey Gall wants one fighter next: Sage Northcutt. 

The 24-year-old New Jersey native made his thoughts clear in his post-fight interview in Cleveland, but an extra layer of intrigue has since entered the mix. Following Gall's call-out, Northcutt's father, Mark, shut the idea down, saying Sage suffered a staph infection and would be unable to go by UFC 205 on Nov. 12. 

Gall sees this as a sign of fear and worry. 

"First of all, I'm not a doctor, but a staph infection, that's like a one-week, two-week thing," Gall said. "So I don't know what that's about. I think they're worried, man. I think they're worried. I know how to deal with Karate guys. I'll give Karate guys big problems on the feet, and on the ground I'll do whatever I want with Sage. So I think they're a little worried. They might be trying to find a way out, but I just think that's the perfect fight for me. Me and Sage: That's a hot fight that needs to be made." 

To Gall, the "when" is less important than the "who." If Northcutt's father is correct in saying Sage can't fight by Nov. 12, Gall is perfectly fine with waiting for the right opportunity. 

"I'll do it at [UFC] 207. I'll do it at [UFC] 206," Gall said. "I'll do it whenever. It doesn't have to be 205. That would be cool. It'd be a quick turnaround for me, but it'd also be an honor to fight there...When he [Northcutt] fights again in the UFC, I want to be that guy." 

It's not a new position for Gall, who waited patiently on the sidelines while Punk recovered from injuries before finally facing the former WWE superstar inside the cage. 

"I knew the smart, money fight was CM Punk," Gall said. "Now, I know the smart, money fight is Sage Northcutt. I'd like to fight at UFC 205, but I'd much rather fight Sage Northcutt. I want Sage."

Despite putting up two near-flawless performances inside the UFC Octagon, Gall believes his game is ultimately unproven. He defeated Mike Jackson via submission in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 82 then tapped out CM Punk with relative ease in his follow-up performance at UFC 203. Two quick submission victories sit just fine with him, but he feels there's plenty more to show fans and critics across the globe. 

"Absolutely [I haven't shown everything I can do]," Gall said. "I look at it from two sides. One: I didn't show too much where you can get a read on me. But two: I'm unproven still. There are still some parts of my game I haven't proven yet." 

Here, Gall draws similarities to the man he wants next. 

"Sage is another one of those guys who's unproven," Gall said. "They talk about him getting protection and getting fed the right opponents. So I say we squash that right there and let both of us go to war. Let the 'Lookin' for a Fight' dudes bang it out. We'll use that fight and see who has questions after that. I think we'll put on a great show." 

The potential showdown against Northcutt follows a trend for Gall. It's the opportunity to simultaneously prove himself while shutting down the hype train of another. After successfully derailing any notion that Punk could fight at the UFC level, Gall reflected on the matchup, calling Punk "tough" but not much else. 

"It pretty much went like it looked," Gall said. "I was all over him. I was just taking my time, working. It felt like a less-experienced fighter. But that first punch I hit him with, when I postured up from guard, I crushed him with that. I hit him hard. To his credit, he didn't quit. He kept trying to move. He kept trying to find better places. He was in over his head, but he didn't quit. So hats off to him." 

That said, does Punk deserve to fight again inside the legendary Octagon? 

"[Punk shouldn't fight] against legit UFC caliber guys, definitely not," Gall said. "Maybe [he] never [will], but who's to say never? Maybe one day. I think he needs to work with guys more of his skill level. I'm not too concerned with what he does after. I've been given a great opportunity off of it, so whatever makes him and everyone else happy."