"He shot himself in the foot" - Bo Nickal honored by Jon Jones comparison, believes he can avoid mistakes 'Bones' made to realize potential
Bo Nickal hasn't even made it into the UFC yet and he's already being compared to G.O.A.T. contender Jon Jones.
Malki Kawa was Jon Jones' manager for many years through the highs and lows of his UFC career, only to be replaced as 'Bones' prepares for a heavyweight run. Kawa went on to sign amateur wrestling standout Nickal, and he sees all of Jones' potential in his new client but none of the demons.
Asked about the comparison on a new episode of The MMA Hour, Nickal said:
"To be even talked about in the same conversation in an MMA sense with Jon, I feel honored to be talked about like that ... He's done everything you can do. He has one disqualification loss, but aside from that dominated so many amazing fighters and to me is probably the number one pound for pound guy, the greatest of all time if you look at his resume ... I've never had a conversation with Jon, but I think he'd say this too, he shot himself in the foot. It wasn't like anyone else did it to him. And I know for me, I'm not going to do that."
"Obviously he had his trials that were, I would say, a lot more outside the cage versus inside the cage. And for me I think I have just as high of a ceiling as far as what I can accomplish in MMA, I see myself being an undefeated, undisputed champion defending my belt many many times with tons of finishes and all different types of techniques just like him. And I just know that for him, he had his troubles outside the cage and I'm not going to have those same troubles and issues just with how I live my life."
Watch Bo Nickal's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
Jones was just 21 years old when he signed with the UFC, and became the youngest champion in the promotion's history at 23. Nickal is already 26, but has made it clear that he wants to claim that pound-for-pound number one status once he enters the UFC.
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Luke Rockhold claims Bo Nickal would "get abused" in the UFC
For all the hype Bo Nickal is getting from the UFC and fans, there are many fighters that aren't sold on him as the next big thing. Fellow middleweight fighter Luke Rockhold didn't hold back when asked what he thought of Nickal's chances in the UFC. He told 'The Schmo':
"Bo Nickal would get abused, absolutely abused. It's different, you know? It's different. Wrestling is, you know, you can go so far until you run into the likes of me. But you know, Bo, he's an incredible character, the kid looks good but he fought a f***ing bum so who the f*** knows."
Rockhold is right that there are tons of world-class wrestlers who have failed to make a mark in the MMA world. However, there are plenty of wrestlers who have excelled in the sport despite obvious deficiencies in other areas of their game. Ben Askren is one obvious example: he was a two time NCAA Division I champion and 2008 Olympic team member. He became a dominant Bellator and ONE welterweight champion, ending his career with an impressive 19-2-1 record despite barely being able to strike.
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Bo Nickal has already proved that he has better hands than Askren, and a better wrestling pedigree. That's why fans have him on the shortlist for most exciting prospect in MMA right now.