Henry Cejudo shares surprising prediction for potential Israel Adesanya vs. Bo Nickal fight: "It wouldn't be good for Israel"

By Manjit Sarmah

Modified Aug 28, 2024 11:00 GMT

Henry Cejudo (inset) predicts a potential Bo Nickal vs. Israel Adesanya fight. [Image courtesy: @nobickal1 and @stylebender via Instagram; Getty Images] — Henry Cejudo (inset) predicts a potential Israel Adesanya vs. Bo Nickal fight. [Images courtesy: @nobickal1 and @stylebender via Instagram; Getty Images]

Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo believes that rising star Bo Nickal would be a nightmare matchup for Israel Adesanya. In a recent interview, Cejudo expressed his opinion that Nickal's wrestling prowess and submission skills would give Adesanya significant trouble.

Cejudo, who has fought in both the bantamweight and flyweight divisions, believes that Nickal's wrestling background would be a major advantage against Adesanya:

"If Bo Nickal was to get a guy like Israel Adesanya now, it wouldn't be good for Israel especially watching him get choked out, like Bo Nickal would do a number on him just stylistically"

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below:

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While a matchup between Nickal and Adesanya may seem unlikely at the moment, given Adesanya's recent loss to Dricus du Plessis, it is a fight that many fans would love to see. Nickal, who has a perfect 6-0 record in the UFC, has already expressed his desire to fight Adesanya, claiming that he would be able to submit the former champion with ease.

“I don’t really know how he’s gonna stop me from bringing him to the ground and submitting him, get it. Yeah, there’s always going to be a chance that I get knocked out. But, we’ve seen this story too many times in this sport. We know how it goes.” [H/t: BJPenn]

If Nickal were to defeat Adesanya, it would be a major upset and would instantly establish him as a top contender in the middleweight division.

Eugene Bareman shares timeline for Israel Adesanya's return

Israel Adesanya is expected to return to the Octagon before the year's end, according to his coach, Eugene Bareman.

Following a surprise loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305, Adesanya's future in the sport had been uncertain. However, Bareman has assured fans that a comeback is imminent: