No UFC middleweight has even 10% of what I have - Bo Nickal calls 185lbs. the "weaker division" in wrestling
Bo Nickal recently trashed the UFC's middleweight division, saying that none of the fighters in that division have good wrestling ability.
Nickal is a very accomplished wrestler and is a former three-time NCAA Division 1 champion. He doesn't see any fighter in the UFC's middleweight division that possesses wrestling skills to match him.
While talking to The Schmo in a recent interview, here's what the 26-year-old said:
"Not really on my level. Not really near. I wouldn't say any of the guys in the middleweight have 20% of what I have. So, that's definitely a weaker division as far as the wrestling goes and I am looking forward to getting my hands on some of those guys."
Nickal was further asked who has the best takedown defense in the UFC. He acknowledged that many fighters have a pretty good takedown defense. That said, the 26-year-old is confident that nobody will be able to stop his takedowns as he has been doing it against lifelong wrestlers for more than 20 years.
"I mean, as far as MMA goes, there's a lot of guys with good takedown defense. But I wrestled my whole life. I wrestled for 20 years. I take guys down who have trained their whole lives to stop me. So, I don't see anybody in the middleweight division stop me. Once I get a hold of these guys they will realize the different levels there are in this game."
Watch Bo Nickal talk to The Schmo:
Bo Nickal made his MMA debut last month at Jorge Masvidal's promotion
Bo Nickal made his much-anticipated MMA debut last month at Jorge Masvidal's Ikon FC promotion. The MMA community kept a close eye on Nickal's debut as they anticipated some high-level wrestling on display.
However. the 26-year-old showcased that he is by no means a one-trick-pony. Nickal was sharp with his hands and earned a stunning first-round knockout win against John Noland.
'Gamebred' reacted to Nickal's debut performance as well. Here's what the UFC's BMF champion wrote:
"Told you he’s gonna be a problem @NoBickal."
Told you he’s gonna be a problem
@NoBickal twitter.com/arielhelwani/s…
Nickal is expected to continue his MMA career and it won't be surprising if he enters the UFC in the near future as he will participate in Dana White's Contender Series soon against Zachary Borego.