Bo Nickal, a four-time All-American wrestler through high school and college, made the switch to MMA in 2022, immediately noticing a big difference between the two sports. A difference he didn’t like.
From Olympic team trials to the US Nationals, not to mention the countless school and collegiate bouts, Nickal spent his formative years among wrestlers. At the UFC, he is in and around mixed martial artists, in whom he has noticed a prevalent lack of discipline.
The unbeaten UFC fighter accused mixed martial artists of being hesitant to make the necessary sacrifices, be it in training or in lifestyle, which is part of the culture in amateur wrestling.
“I don’t think a lot of people are willing to be disciplined and make the sacrifices that you just see everybody doing in wrestling right?….In wrestling that’s just what you do,” said Nickal during a conversation with Demetrious Johnson.
Nickal said this sense of discipline is drilled into the psyche of the wrestler by the various clubs, colleges, and the teams through rigorous both on and off the mat. Wrestling fosters many virtues since there is so much competition and very little, almost negligible, margin for error.
Take Khabib Nurmagomedov’s school of wrestling, for instance. There is no respite in training there, and they never stop learning. Even for someone at the level of welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, who has spoken at large about how ruthless the training is.
Former UFC champ, Daniel Cormier, who once sent trainees from his wrestling school to Dagestan, had detailed their experience. The kids apparently said that while they practice wrestling in DC’s school, they trained in Dagestan. There in lies the difference.
And it’s not just about drills on the mat. From waking up early in the morning, to having buzz cuts and eating the right things all the time, the level of discipline is insane.
Nickal feels the lack of discipline is one of the reasons why a lot of UFC fighters find success initially and then fall off the radar. Wrestlers, meanwhile, build huge legacies. Nickal believes that success gets to the heads of MMA fighters and they start slacking off in training and other aspects of life. This, in turn, makes them lose focus even in their fights.
Since he’s been a part of both the worlds, Nickal hopes to navigate the UFC tactfully, and has a blueprint for what he wants to do next. He wants to stick to that plan.
Nickal reveals the plans for UFC career
Why isn’t Bo Nickal fighting any ranked opponents, yet? Turns out, both the UFC and the young wrestler are taking the Sean O’Malley path.
O’Malley, for the longest time, had no intention of jumping the gun in his MMA career. He took on opponents in an incremental fashion, climbing up the ladder to the elite level in small steps. His opponents got tougher with time and when he got to the title eventually, ‘Suga’ was already a bonafide superstar.
“I feel like I can compete with and beat the best guys in the world right now, but I don’t want it to be competitive when it happens. So, when I go out there and I’m competing for the belt, I want it to look like a master class where this guy is not even on my level,” said Nickal.
It makes sense for Nickal to bide his time, get some bouts under his belt, and gain more experience in the octagon. While he is getting better with each fight, there’s still so much to improve.
It is heartening to see that Nickal is realistic with his timeline. He can work on it till he attains a level where he’s competing with the likes of Khamzat Chimaev.
