Wrestling standout says he’s ‘down for it’ with challenge
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – The tests keep getting stiffer for unbeaten wrestling standout Bo Nickal.
In two weeks, he’ll have arguably his toughest assignment yet, at least on paper, when he touches down in a state he spent some time in during his prep and collegiate wrestling careers: Iowa.
Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) meets former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 67 co-main event in Des Moines on May 3. Nickal, coming off a decision win over constant ground threat Paul Craig, is more than a 2-1 betting favorite in the fight.
De Ridder recently dropped a bit of a challenge Nickal’s way when he said fans aren’t interested in seeing them strike – a debatable claim, to be certain. Instead, the Dutchman thinks he and the American should figure things out on the canvas.
Nickal said he won’t shy away from it when the cage door closes.
“I’m down for it,” Nickal told MMA Junkie at his American Top Team training base in South Florida. “I think for me, the priority is to just do my best. I focus on my attitude and my effort, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. I’m going to go out and go 100 percent the whole time. I’m going to keep bringing it from the first bell to the last. That’s all I can control. For me, it’s just go out there and give 100 percent effort.”
Nickal said his win over Craig was a learning experience that could prove to be invaluable down the road. At UFC 309 this past November in New York, Nickal went the distance for the first time.
In fact, Nickal’s 15 minutes in the cage with Craig was essentially double the total cage time in his first six fights, all stoppage wins.
“That was huge for my growth,” Nickal said. “My time in the cage doubled just in that one fight. For me, that’s one of the most valuable things right now is just continue to rack up that experience. That’s one of the reasons why I’m down here at American Top Team training with the best guys in the world is to build that experience up, build that confidence.
“For me, that last fight (against Craig), I think that wasn’t what people expected. For me, the growth and the time in the cage was super, super valuable.”
Check out Nickal’s full interview with Mike Bohn above.
