Whether it’s current champion Alex Pereira or previous champion Israel Adesanya, Bo Nickal is convinced that he would out grapple them all in the UFC middleweight category.
Nickal witnessed the UFC 281 title battle between Pereira and Adesanya, in which ‘Po Atan’ defeated the ‘Last Stylebender’ through a fifth-round technical knockout, like the rest of his friends. The recent UFC signee was not satisfied with their grappling because that is an area in which he has excelled since long before he began training in mixed martial arts. Despite how pleased he was with their hitting, he was not impressed with their grappling.
The three-time NCAA Division I National Champion recently gave an interview on The MMA Hour, where he discussed the reasons why he believes he would have an advantage over both Pereira and Adesanya in the event that they fought each other.
“That’s a relatively, I would say—I’m not going to say [an] ‘easy’ fight because, he’s dangerous. But as far as styles go, that’s a great matchup for me,” said Nickal. “I’ve watched their fight a couple of times and the grappling, you know—the striking exchanges are super impressive, that goes without saying. They’re absolutely elite strikers. But when they get ahold of each other, it’s almost, like, funny.
“I’m like laughing at how they’re moving and what they’re doing and stuff,” continued Nickal. “And maybe they feel that way about me when I’m hitting pads and hitting the bag and stuff. But I just feel like, if I grabbed ahold of either of those guys, it wouldn’t go well for them. And I think everybody knows that, so that’s not something that’s a shocking statement or that’s pretty outlandish, in my opinion.”
The graduate of the Contender Series will have to make his debut in the UFC before he will be eligible for battles against Pereira or Adesanya. Jamie Pickett, who also competed in the Contender Series, is a veteran of the UFC, and Nickal will be training alongside Pickett for his first assignment.
The undefeated prospect is aware of what Pickett is capable of, but he is convinced that he will maintain his record of finishing opponents in the first round when the two meet at UFC 285.
Nickal shared his thoughts by stating, “I think you always have to go into a fight concerned.
“I think if you are too relaxed, taking it for granted and overlooking people, then that’s a recipe for disaster. So for me, I would say I’m very concerned, very aware of everything that he’s going to bring. I watch a ton of film and I feel like I’m fully prepared for anything that he has ready for me. With that being said, I’m very confident and I know what I’m going to do out there. I expect to finish him in the first round. If that doesn’t happen, finish him in the second and if that doesn’t happen, finish him in the third, but he’s not making it the full 15 minutes. I’m confident in that.”
The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will play host to UFC 285, which will take place on Saturday, March 4. Nickal and Pickett will square off in the first bout of the pay-per-view portion of the event.