Mar 23, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal (grey) enters the arena prior to wrestling Ohio State wrestler Kollin Moore (not pictured) in the finals of the 197 pound weight class during the NCAA Wrestling Championships at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
This past Saturday on the main card of UFC 285, one of the more hyped prospects in the promotion made his official debut. Former three-time NCAA national wrestling champion Bo Nickal (4-0) made his debut on the PPV main card as he took on veteran Jamie Pickett (13-9).
Immediately as the fight started, Nickal tried to open up with his striking. However, he slipped from throwing a high kick and immediately went into his wrestling upon getting up. At first, Pickett defended well and Nickal struggled to get him to the mat.
However, after some knees (one that looked low), Nickal was able to get the fight to the mat. Once it was there, he immediately started working his submission game and found an arm triangle choke. Took him a while to get the tap, but after enough time and pressure, Pickett was forced to tap.
While Nickal has been in the public talking about his chances against the elites of the division, I think the UFC would be wise to build him slowly. There’s no need to rush him to the top. Sure, you can say that the current champion was rushed but that was a rare opportunity given Alex Pereira’s history with Israel Adesanya.
Nickal needs to be built up correctly so he can polish all aspects of his game. I think an appropriate next step would be taking on a guy like Eryk Anders. Anders is another division one athlete and he’s been in the UFC for a while now.
He has really powerful striking and he looked very solid in his last fight against Kyle Daukaus. It’s not the biggest name in the world, but it’s another step up from a guy like Jamie Pickett. If Nickal runs through Anders, then you can make another jump after that.
This post was published on 2023-03-08 09:36
