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Bo Nickal is one of the best NCAA wrestlers to ever cross over into mixed martial arts, and Jorge Masvidal says the 26-year old has power in his hands too.
Nickal is a three-time NCAA Division 1 national champion, and he's bringing the mentality that made him such a monster on the mats into MMA. Helping him in his quest to become the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world is American Top Team and Jorge Masvidal. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Masvidal praised Nickal heavily.
"I want to say when Bo's first days of MMA were on the mat, I was there with him. Grappling with him, working a little bit of striking. The grappling is just out of this world, man ... Has the most pins at his weight class, season after season, I think he led the country in pins as well. It just shows his work and his attrition. Not a guy that fades in overtime, too. So I really think he's gonna be hell for a lot of guys at 185."
He's going to be the type of guy to take you down once, and that's all she wrote, you know? He'll either submit you, or just that whole round you lost because you're not getting away from this guy. Mix in with the hands he's starting to develop, because the kid has natural power. I work with him a lot, from all the wrestling he's just like this dense f***ing little white gorilla. He hits, it hurts, man."
Watch Jorge Masvidal discuss Bo Nickal below:
Jorge Masvidal went on to declare Bo Nickal could end up a world champion, adding that he doesn't make that statement lightly. The last fighter he pumped up as a future champion was Johnny Eblen, who proved Masvidal right by taking the Bellator middleweight belt off Gregard Mousasi last weekend.
Watch Bo Nickal knock out his opponent in his first professional MMA fight
Nickal is still new to MMA and has spent the last year at ATT working on his striking. While he says he still has a long way to go to get where he wants to be, he did manage to start his pro MMA career with a 33-second knockout win.
Nickal is looking to get back in the cage around August, and if all goes well he wants another fight before the end of 2022.
