UFC debutant Bo Nickal aims to reach Jon Jones level stature

Bo Nickal will make his promotional debut at UFC 285, which is headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. The middleweight prospect recently shared lofty expectations when discussing sharing a card with one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.

#UFC285 🔥🔥 https://t.co/cw2wOpjgvX

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Bo Nickal stated:

"It's huge. I look at Jon Jones as obviously one of the legends. A lot of stock in him and argument as the GOAT. A lot of people think he's the greatest of all-time, and just to be opening up a main card with him as the main event is a very cool place to be at in my UFC debut."

Nickal continued:

"Obviously, the goal for me is eventually to be headlining and be the main event myself on pay-per-views, but for now, it's very exciting and I feel very grateful and appreciative to be in the position that I am and have this opportunity."

Nickal earned a UFC contract after back-to-back victories on Dana White's Contender Series, in which he picked up a submission in the first round of each bout. He was originally scheduled to face Jamie Pickett at UFC 282, however, he was forced to withdraw due to injury, and the pair will now clash at UFC 285.

Watch Bo Nickal's comments on Jon Jones below:

Bo Nickal talks about fighting on the same card as Jon Jones 🦴 #TheMMAHour

"Just to be opening up a main card with him as the main event, is a very cool place to be in my UFC debut."

▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=Hq_qgh… https://t.co/KOKLN3gmSp

Jon Jones further buries the hatchet with Daniel Cormier

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier had a heated rivalry that spanned several years as they fought twice for the light heavyweight title. With 'Bones' set to make his return to the octagon at UFC 285 after a three-year hiatus from the sport, he took to Twitter to share that he would not mind his former rival calling his fight, stating:

"DC you are more than welcome to commentate at my fight, I think you are really good at what you do. I trust that you would be non-biased. All the best brother"

When a fan responded that they would like to see Cormier do the octagon interview after the fight, Jones responded:

"Whoever wants to do it, totally cool with me. I feel like I’m in a whole new chapter of my life, let bygones be bygones."

Jones is set to make his heavyweight debut at UFC 285 after a dominant run at 205 lbs that established him as the greatest light heavyweight of all time. He will face Ciryl Gane and look to become the eighth fighter in UFC history to become a champion in two weight classes.

Check out Jon Jones' tweets about Daniel Cormier below:

DC you are more than welcome to commentate at my fight, I think you are really good at what you do. I trust that you would be non-biased. All the best brother

Whoever wants to do it, totally cool with me. I feel like I’m in a whole new chapter of my life, let bygones be bygones. twitter.com/ballsdeepinym3…