It’s rare to see the public so unanimously side against the undefeated blue chip prospect.
Such is the strange case of Bo Nickal (7-0), one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers to ever cross into the Octagon. If we’re talking big picture and looking at the situation objectively, Nickal has done everything right and picked up incredible wins for his experience level. Joining American Top Team full time prior to even his amateur career was a great decision, and he’s been consistently finishing opposition with more experience than him.
What’s the problem? There’s something off-putting about how Nickal carries himself. It cannot be labeled arrogance or cockiness either, as those traits are par for the course regarding unbeaten young talents. Hell, they’re almost necessary for success in such a cutthroat industry.
Plenty of cocky fighters are beloved.
I think it’s more an issue of results versus expectations and a general lack of self-awareness. More than once, Nickal has set records for being the biggest betting favorite in UFC history. Initially, he was living up to those odds, smashing his opponent inside a minute or two. More recently, however, there have been moments of struggle as the competition level rose even moderately, like when he couldn’t take down Jamie Pickett until a low blow landed or when Cody Brundage reversed him with an airy toss.
Given the end results, however, the issues were still easily overlooked.
The Paul Craig fight felt like a changing of the tides. That fight sucked, and carefully out-voluming “Bearjew” impressed nobody. It was a painfully monotonous fight. If I go into our image database, there are literally dozens of the picture below. Nickal threw this same right hand over and over from either stance, failing to build combinations or do anything remotely of interest.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
It just wasn’t great work, let alone from a massive favorite. Nickal, however, is immune to any criticism. It washes over him rather than sink in at all. He still talks like all his performances have been flawless dominations, like he could walk over Khamzat tomorrow.
Nobody is really buying that narrative right now.
UFC Des Moines will be a major moment in Nickal’s career, as Reinier de Ridder, ranked No. 13 in the world, is a step up from Craig. He’s still a wonky submission guy, but de Ridder can actually throw punches and make his opponents uncomfortable. He will force a scrap, and we’ve never really seen Nickal in that position. This time around, Nickal is only a 3-1 favorite, meaning odds maker’s believe there’s a reasonable (if still small) chance he gets clipped and upset here.
With “RDR” as an actual threat, Nickal can really prove himself on Saturday night. If he smokes de Ridder in impressive fashion, then s—t, maybe “Borz” better be careful after all! It would be real evidence that Nickal is an imminent contender rather than a future problem.
Alternatively, Nickal’s undefeated record could come to an end. At 29 years of age, he still has room to grow, but he’s not exactly a youngster either. You think those knees are going to last forever after 20 years of hard wrastlin’? Nickal’s prime is within the next couple years, so the opportunity to capture gold will be at his door step sooner than later … or likely not at all.
The final option is another ho-hum decision. If Nickal stalls out de Ridder then gets on the mic to call out a Top Five opponent as if he just dominated, that might be the worst outcome of all for his star potential.
