It’s been a long time since a prospect joined the UFC roster with as much hype swirling around them as Bo Nickal.
The three-time NCAA champion wrestler from Penn State has an athletic pedigree that already sets him apart from just about any athlete looking to get attention with only three fights on his resume. There’s so much expectation built around Nickal’s debut that he’ll have his UFC debut as the opening bout of the main card at UFC 285, which is a coveted spot for veterans, much less a rookie with two of his three wins coming on Contender Series.
Nickal seems to embrace the moment and Mike Brown, American Top Team’s head coach agrees that he is equipped with all the necessary tools to succeed in the UFC.
“He’s obviously very young in his MMA career,” Brown told MMA Fighting. He has only three minutes of professional MMA training. Although he is young, his history in wrestling shows that he was one of the best college wrestlers. He is close to being the greatest wrestler of all time. Cael Sanderson would be the number one. 1 college wrestler ever, but Bo was up there.
“He is one of the most outstanding athletes ever to come out of this sport. He’s very focused and driven. Things are obviously moving really, really quickly. We are all eager to watch how it unfolds. But who knows what the future holds. His victory in wrestling was unparalleled by any other man, and the same trend seems to be happening in mixed martial arts .
Immediately after he was signed to the UFC roster, Nickal was already eyeing future fights with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and highly touted two-weight wrecking machine Khamzat Chimaev.
He ultimately defeated Jamie Pickett, but Nickal seems ready to make his debut and rise quickly up the middleweight ranks.
Brown, on the other hand, understands Nickal’s enthusiasm but also knows that the slow, steady approach wins, even in a difficult sport like MMA. That’s why Brown and the rest of the coaches and fighters at American Top Team are putting Nickal through a trial by fire in the gym to ensure he’s ready for the UFC.
“We want to test him in the gym,” Brown explained. Push him around in the gym and test him there. But don’t rush to put him through the fights. You should take your time, go slowly, and build up. We want one-sided fights for a while. We want to keep raising the competition step-by-step, inch-by-inch as we move. There’s no need to go too fast. No problem. We can test our fitness in the gym and then develop.
“But in the fight world, step-by-step as it should be. Keep climbing up the ladder and minimize risk. It’s not a good idea to go too fast. It’s important to be on the right side. You want to feel different scenarios under the bright lights, be in different scenarios under the bright lights. This will make you feel comfortable .”
The UFC does not have any specific plans for prospects. Some fighters are thrown in the deep end of the pool very early, while others take more time to gain experience before earning matchups against ranked opposition.
Given that Nickal already has future fights lined up with some of the top 185 pound fighters, it seems that he doesn’t want to take his time. Brown says that this is the best way to ensure long-term success.
” “Obviously, he is moving fast,” Brown stated. “He literally has three minutes of professional fighting experience. He’s been in five fights [total], and they were all very quick, if you include his amateur fighting career. It’s not necessary to mention it. He isn’t a regular guy.
“Of course he has the ability to be a UFC champion and that’s the direction he’s headed. We’re heading in that direction. It’s clear that he has all the tools he requires to do that, and that he is on this path .”
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Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/3/1/23619063/coach-bo-nickal-has-everything-he-needs-to-be-a-ufc-champion-but-theres-no-need-to-go-too-fast?rand=96749
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