"There will be some pushback at some point"- Aljamain Sterling discusses championship potential of recent hot prospect Bo Nickal
Aljamain Sterling identifies Bo Nickal as a future UFC champion. According to the reigning bantamweight champion, the surging young prospect can very well attain the coveted UFC gold should he continue to stay the course.
Bo Nickal has the MMA community in the palm of his hand. Although he's only fought three times as a professional mixed martial artist, several analysts have fancied his chances against the best in the division, including middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
BO NICKAL GETS IT DONE IN UNDER A MINUTE! #DWCS https://t.co/IDkLeYpj7F
Aljamain Sterling stated in a recent interview with LowKick MMA that Nickal is cut from the same cloth that champions are made of.
In Sterling's opinion, the DWCS graduate can achieve his hanker to lay hands on UFC gold if he recognizes early in his career that he will meet some resistance from the very best in the division:
"I think Bo is really good. I think he's talented. Obviously, he still hasn't been tested in the standup department. But that's because he's passing all his tests with flying colors."
Sterling added:
"There will be some pushback at some point. I'm sure he's smart enough to know that. Just like any of his wrestling matches, not all of them ended up in pins. Sometimes the fight goes the full distance. So if he's learnt anything from a Chimaev stepping up against Burns, I think he's going to understand that when he gets to that ballpark there's going to be some adversity that he's going to have to face."
Bo Nickal has his UFC debut fight booked against Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 in December. The fight was first announced on ESPN MMA.
Less than two days after Bo Nickal earned a UFC contract on #DWCS, he already has his first fight in the works 💥
UFC is finalizing a middleweight bout between @NoBickal and Jamie Pickett for UFC 282 on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, officials told @bokamotoESPN. https://t.co/I36du00gNp
Watch Aljamain Sterling's take on Bo Nickal below:
Aljamain Sterling predicts his upcoming fight against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280
Aljamain Sterling will face former two-time bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280. The co-main event of the night is scheduled to take place on October 22, 2022, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
'Funk Master' cemented his claim as the bantamweight champion in a rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 273. Sterling had initially won the belt from the Russian after a controversial ending at UFC 259 that saw Yan lose the belt owing to a disqualification following an illegal knee.
With the fight just a few days away, verbal jibes and shots have been fired from both fighters as the buildup to the event is intensifying by the day.
Sterling recently had local fans and media members come to his gym for an open workout and Q&A session. When asked about his prediction for the fight against Dillashaw, Sterling answered:
"I wrote down in my book. Second round finish. Submission!"
Watch the full session below: