"It was a two-fold attack" - Michael Bisping on Bo Nickal claiming he'd rise to the top of UFC's middleweight division

Bo Nickal's Dana White Contender Series win was recently the subject of conversation between Michael Bisping and Anthony Smith.

On episode 417 of Believe You Me, Bisping's podcast, the former middleweight champion and Smith broke down the latest exploits of one of the MMA world's most-discussed prospects.

In his post-fight interview on DWCS, Nickal described how he was going right to the top of the UFC's middleweight class. In response to this, Bisping said:

"I had to defend the UFC roster. It was a two-fold attack. On one hand I thought, 'Shit, am I going to get a little message in my ear?'... [The producers could have said,] 'Michael, you're downplaying the ability of the people on here'... Just because you're a really good wrestler doesn't mean you're going to come into the top ten, top five, and just blow everyone out of the water."

Bisping continued:

"Because wrestling up against the fence is much, much harder. I've wrestled and trained with some really good wrestlers, but against the fence I can play that game. I can stop the takedowns, I can get back to my feet, I can hit submissions... No doubt he's going to have a tremendous career, but slow your roll on being a champion just yet, buddy."

Watch the podcast featuring Bisping and Smith below:

Bo Nickal won what is only his second mixed-martial arts contest by securing a rear-naked choke against Zack Borrego in sixty-two seconds during their August 9 clash. The victory captured the attention of many and the collective hype surrounding Nickal as an MMA prospect seems to be burgeoning by the day.

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Bo Nickal's path in fighting

Bo Nickal is a massively decorated folkstyle and freestyle wrestler. The former three-time NCAA Division 1 champion also has the distinction of being a three-time Big Ten conference champion and winning the 2019 Dan Hodge trophy, which awards the most outstanding collegiate wrestler.

In addition to these accolades, Nickal claimed the 2019 U23 World title, won the US Open national championship, and placed as a finalist in the 2020 US Olympic trials. Nickal signed an MMA management deal with the goal of transitioning into the sport in late-2019.

Bo Nickal had a pair of amateur mixed martial arts contests, submitting David Conley via first-round guillotine choke at Island Fights 69 and besting Billy Goode via TKO at Island Fights 70.

Nickal made his pro debut in June of this year and won in less than 35 seconds. He halted John Noland at iKON FC 3 with punches.

Watch the decorated wrestler's MMA debut below: