This is what Conor McGregor did - John McCarthy supports Bo Nickal saying he'll retire if he's made to fight in prelims, Michael Bisping does not
John McCarthy and Michael Bisping have opposing takes on Bo Nickal's recent comments about fighting in the prelims.
Nickal, the UFC's latest signee, recently claimed that he'd rather retire than fight in the preliminary portion of an event. His remarks gained mixed reactions from fans and analysts alike.
As far as John McCarthy is concerned, Nickal has every right to build himself up as a special type of prospect. The former MMA referee believes such tactics could prove effective for self-promotion. During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy said:
"I love the fact that he's got the confidence he has and he's making these statements. That's what you're supposed to do. You're supposed to believe in yourself and you're supposed to be able to go out there and tell your promoter, 'Hey, I ain't the f***ing guy you put on the prelims. I'm your f***ing main card, main event guy. I'm the guy people are gonna watch.'"
McCarthy added:
"This is what Conor [McGregor did]."
Check out John McCarthy's comments on Bo Nickal:
Michael Bisping opposes John McCarthy's take on Bo Nickal's comments
Unlike John McCarthy, Michael Bisping felt like Bo Nickal was being too brash to make such a statement.
The way Bisping sees it, winning Dana White's Contender Series doesn't necessarily guarantee a spot on the main card. During the latest episode of his Believe You Me podcast, the former UFC middleweight titleholder said:
"Slow your roll, bro. I'll be asking him about it on Monday, but sometimes, just because your main eventing the Contender Series doesn't mean you automatically, you know? It doesn't have a correlation to your placement on the card. But hey, God bless him."
Catch Michael Bisping's comments on Bo Nickal:
Nickal has since walked back his comments and added that he'll accept whatever the UFC decides. The red-hot prospect revealed that upon reflecting, he realized there are many individuals more deserving of the main card spot than him.
That's especially the case as Nickal is expected to make his octagon debut at the UFC 282 pay-per-view in December. He will take on fellow middleweight Jamie Pickett, although his placement on the card is yet to be announced.
No time wasted: Bo Nickal’s (@NoBickal) UFC debut is set vs. Jamie Pickett at #UFC282.
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