Henry Cejudo believes Bo Nickal could struggle if rushed

Despite Bo Nickal winning his promotional debut with a first-round submission, Henry Cejudo isn't fully impressed and believes that the highly touted middleweight prospect shouldn't be rushed along.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'Triple C' stated:

"There’s a huge hype train going around with Bo Nickal. Obviously, he did win, but I also saw a little difference in him too because he did struggle to get that takedown. MMA wrestling, it is different than NCAA wrestling. They have to continue to keep building Bo Nickal. If they don’t build Bo Nickal and they give him somebody tough, Bo Nickal is going to struggle."

Henry Cejudo shared that he wanted to see how Bo Nickal would have responded if he didn't get the first-round finish. He also hoped that Nickal would take a few more fights before being matched up against a high-ranked opponent:

"Moving forward, Bo Nickal, I hope you’re listening: You’re gonna need about six fights like this before you start getting up to like the top 10. I know you have goals of becoming pound-for-pound. Do I believe you can do it? 100 percent. Anybody that is a wrestler that’s a freestyler as high level as yourself can do it. Take your d*mn time, bro."

Watch Henry Cejudo's comments on Bo Nickal below (starting at the 8:05 mark):

Cejudo compared Nickal's situation to his own, as both fighters entered the promotion as highly touted and successful wrestlers. While 'Triple C' went on to become one of just four double champs in UFC history, he struggled early on. After picking up four straight victories to begin his UFC career, he was given a flyweight title opportunity against Demetrious Johnson, losing the bout via first-round TKO.

---

Henry Cejudo believes UFC 285 victory cemented Jon Jones' status as the GOAT

Jon Jones was a popular choice for the greatest mixed martial artist of all time long before he made his heavyweight debut. Henry Cejudo, who helped 'Bones' prepare for the fight, believes that his UFC 285 performance cemented that status:

"Jon Jones just cemented himself as the greatest of all time. No more excuses. No more [Georges] St-Pierre. No more anybody. His name is Jon Jones, and he is the greatest pound-for-pound fighter. The greatest mixed martial artist of all time."

Watch Henry Cejudo's comments on Jon Jones below (starting at the 0:44 mark):

Despite taking more than three years away from the sport to make his heavyweight debut, Jones needed just over two minutes to defeat Ciryl Gane and become the 18th undisputed champion in the heavyweight division. 'Bones' joins Cejudo as one of just eight fighters in UFC history who have been champions in two different weight classes.