Bo Nickal is a top-tier MMA prospect with a storied wrestling background. Michael Bisping, a UFC Hall of Famer, believes Nickal could be the next Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Bo Nickal’s inclusion on the UFC 300 main card surprised some fans, as the rising MMA star has immense potential, but he’s never faced this type of pressure in the octagon.
He fought Cody Brundage on the historic card — a move that resulted in pushback from some fans and analysts due to Nickal’s lack of octagon time.
But Michael Bisping insists the rising star was worthy of such a coveted spot on the card. And the former UFC champion even believes Nickal could be the “American” Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Bisping told MMA Fighting, “I’ll tell you why Bo Nickal is [on the UFC 300 main card]. Nickal has the potential to go down as one of the greatest champions that we’ve ever seen.
“An American version of a Khamzat Chimaev, or an Islam Makhachev, or Khabib Nurmagomedov. That’s the kind of pedigree that he has and has shown so far.”
Bisping continued praising the American Top Team star, calling him a “special” talent who was “bred” in a lab since childhood. “The training that these wrestlers go through is insane.
“That’s why you see somebody like Khabib be successful even though he didn’t do the same kind of path. Bo Nickal has got the ability to be an American Khabib Nurmagomedov.”
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This statement is quite the praise for Nickal, as many consider Khabib one of the most dominant fighters in combat sports history.
Khabib retired from MMA in 2020 with a sparkling 29-0 record. He lost only two rounds throughout his UFC career and is a fixture in “greatest of all time” discussions.
Nickal is a former three-time NCAA wrestling champion who became a world-champion freestyle wrestler after graduating from Penn State.
Nickal joined Dana White’s contender series following a few years of intense MMA training. He won his first two fights via submission, which led White to offer him a UFC contract.
Since joining the promotion, Nickal has two more first-round stoppages under his belt — an arm-triangle choke vs. Jamie Pickett and a TKO against Val Woodburn.
Add in his impressive submission victory vs. Brundage at UFC 300, and Nickal is off to a great start in his MMA career. As Bisping alluded, he has all the traits to be a future champion.
