Bo Nickal, an up-and-coming UFC fighter, believes Michael Chandler’s advice to moderate his ambitious Octagon path is crucial for young fighters like himself.
In his eagerly anticipated UFC debut at UFC 285, Nickal dispatched Jamie Pickett with ease. With great ease, he swiftly took hold of Pickett’s back before applying the arm-triangle choke to secure the victory.
Nickal, who was perhaps one of the most anticipated prospects in UFC history, has called out players like Khamzat Chimaev and Israel Adesanya during his four-fight MMA career. Nickal is utilising the increased attention in the UFC because he is a former NCAA collegiate wrestling champion and is used to the spotlight.
A recent evaluation of Nickal’s potential was provided by Chandler, who also has NCAA wrestling experience. Nickal’s ability, in his opinion, is unquestionable, but he thinks Nickal should be less aggressive with his callouts.
Despite the fact that Chandler’s remarks may offend certain boxers, Nickal believes they have some merit.
Nickal discussed Chandler’s remarks on a recent episode of The MMA Hour. Nickal said, “I think there’s a lot of wisdom with that statement. I think Michael Chandler is a fan of me, I think Michael Chandler wants me to win. First off, he said my potential is exponential, so let’s look at what he’s actually saying. He’s talking about it in a perspective of the fans. If I say ‘Give me Khamzat’…99% of fans are going to say [I’m an idiot]…that’s the perspective that he’s taking. He’s not hating on me at all. I don’t think he’s a guy that would do that because he’s always been cool to me. A guy that is as big as Michael Chandler is talking about someone who just made his UFC debut, that’s a big deal. But secondly, I don’t think he’s trying to put me down, I think that’s just how he sees it…if you say these things, the fans are gonna perceive it a certain way, which is true.”
With two victories in the opening round of Dana White’s Contender Series, Nickal has an undefeated MMA record. If he continues to put in strong performances, he might be soon promoted up the middleweight division’s ranks.
Nickal made his MMA debut at iKon FC 3 and was knocked out in the first round before catching the eye of Dana White and the UFC. After switching to MMA full-time, he has a perfect career record of 4-0.
Nickal accepts Chandler’s assertions and believes that his point of view is reasonable. The attention of a prominent celebrity like Chandler on Nickal demonstrates how skilled the former Penn State wrestling standout is in the Octagon.
In other news, Bo Nickal disputed that he delivered an unlawful low blow during his Middleweight showcase matchup on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at UFC 285.
Despite the near-perfect performance, there was some controversy following it because Pickett (and the Internet) insisted he was struck with a low blow that caused the takedown, which ultimately led to his defeat. Nickal addressed the dick-kick allegation in his post-fight interview.
Nickal told reporters, “It’s weird, bro. Honestly, I know exactly what happened. I hit him in the leg, in the thigh. I had him in a bad position along the wall. He wanted to get off the wall, and he wanted the ref to stop it. If I were to have actually hit him low, I would feel bad because I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater. I’m not somebody who tries to take shortcuts. So if I did hit him low, I would’ve just relaxed probably or let the ref stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all, so it’s a weird move, bro.”
According to MMA Junkie, Pickett, and his management intend to appeal the submission victory to a “No Contest” with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Even though “Nightwolf” believes he was wronged, he will likely arrive on the executive director’s desk dead on arrival.
Pickett lost to Nickal via submission for the third time in a row, dropping to 2-5 overall in the UFC. It is unknown if he will benefit in the long run from a last-minute appeal for employment. On the other side, Nickal remains unbeaten (4-0) and plans to compete once again in July.
