UFC placed a lot on Bo Nickal’s shoulder by making him the opening fight of the UFC 300 main card. This decision did not sit well with fans who were angry that the likes of Jiri Prochazka, and Aljamain Sterling among others were passed on to make way for Nickal. However, it is fair to say that the UFC made the right call by giving Nickal the opening slot. The 28-year-old emerged victorious with a second round submission win over Cody Brundage.
The fight started off well for Nickal. He landed a few good shots early on. As the fight went on, Nickal also managed to secure a few takedowns as well in the first round itself. The 28-year-old tried relentlessly to secure a few submissions and was close on a few attempts in the first round. However, it was in the second round that he got the job done.
Nickal secured a single leg takedown and worked his way on the ground to eventually take Brundage’s back. Once he had his back, he managed to secure a body triangle, which ultimately ended in him getting his hand raised. With the win, Nickal is now 6-0 as a professional MMA fighter. However, even after the win, Nickal looked dejected with himself. When asked about the same, the 28-year-old stated that he should have finished the fight earlier.
Soaking in the excitement, fans too, were quick to comment on his win over Brundage.
A fan pointed out the hypocrisy of other MMA fans by saying, “aljamain sterling getting a takedown vs bo nickal getting a takedown #UFC300.”
Another fan added, “Please don’t ever compare Bo Nickal to Khamzat Chimaev ever again.”
In yet another comparison, a fan said, “Islam Makhachev would have finished Cody Brundage quicker than Bo Nickal, and you can’t tell me otherwise. #UFC300”
Now, with Bo Nickal still undefeated, things are expected to get rosy for him. Dana White clearly backed him up by giving him the main card slot. Going forward, Nickal might go on to become the next big thing for the UFC.
What is next for Bo Nickal?
After his win, Nickal was seen speaking to Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was sitting right next to Dana White. Such an interaction could do wonders for Nickal as he is eyeing to take on Khamzat Chimaev to further establish his legacy in the UFC.
In the post fight interview, he reminded the fans that he is just 6-0 in his MMA career and that he would get better as time went on. In addition to this, Nickal convinced fans that they would like him as they saw more of him in the ring. When it comes to opponents, Nickal stated that he wanted either Anthony Hernandez or Roman Kopylov next in the UFC.
