Bo Nickal Defends Previous Khabib Nurmagomedov Comments With Cristiano Ronaldo Example
When it comes to wrestling credentials, there are a very select few in the United States that have a better resume than Bo Nickal. The 26-year-old recently made a switch from wrestling to MMA and secured an impressive 33-second knockout on his debut. However, it is not Nickal’s striking that has the MMA world excited about his future in the sport, rather, it is his wrestling.
Nickal is a three-time Division I NCAA national champion. He is also a three-time big ten conference champion as well. Nickal also tried out for the 2020 Olympic Team as well. Therefore, it is safe to say that he is one of, if not the most accomplished wrestler in MMA at the moment. To add to his impressive list of accolades, the American Top Team prospect also won the Dan Hodge Trophy in 2019. ‘Funky’ Ben Askren is the only other Hodge Trophy recipient that has gone on to win a world title in MMA.
In an interview prior to his MMA debut, Nickal stated that ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov would not survive 30-seconds with him. He said, “To be 100 per cent honest with you, if I were to ever wrestle Khabib, Khabib wouldn’t last more than 30 seconds against me in a wrestling match. Maybe 60 seconds, tops.I respect the guy, don’t get me wrong, like he’s tough. If he’s not the greatest of all time in MMA, he’s up there. There’s nobody that can have an all-time greats list and not have him on it.”
Bo Nickal explains his comments made on Khabib Nurmagomedov
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Nickal shared exactly why he thought he would beat Khabib Nurmagomedov in less than 30-seconds. He said, “Yeah, I mean a lot of people were like just, like they don’t understand. Like they don’t understand what I’m saying. … I think that more than anything, it’s not really an opinion, it’s a fact. It’s like, what I compared it to was, the guy asked me about beat Khabib in a wrestling match.”
Nickal continued, “And I’m like ‘dude, I wrestled my whole life. That’s like asking me if I’m going to stop a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty kick. Like, I’m not going to stop it… he’s going to hit that a 100 out of 100 times. Maybe one time he hits the crossbar. But, like, I’m not touching the ball. It’s the same thing.”
What do you make of Bo Nickal’s comments? Let us know in the comments below!
