Joe Rogan is ready to see UFC middleweight Bo Nickal fight a ranked opponent.
In September 2021, Nickal started his competitive MMA journey by fighting in his first amateur bout after solidifying himself as a legendary collegiate wrestler at Penn State University. Since then, the American Top Team affiliate has established a 5-0 professional record following a 2-0 amateur run.
Nickal’s UFC tenure has gone smoothly thus far, as he secured a first-round submission win against Jamie Pickett and a first-round knockout against Val Woodburn. The 28-year-old rising superstar has proven he’s not an average middleweight, but the question is, when will he fight a ranked opponent?
On April 13, Nickal will make his third walk to the Octagon when he faces Cody Brundage at the highly-anticipated UFC 300. Although Brundage is not ranked, he’s riding momentum after winning back-to-back fights against Jacob Malkoun and Zach Reese.
During a UFC 297 fight companion, Joe Rogan mentioned Bo Nickal by saying this to Brendan Schaub, Eddie Bravo, and Joey Diaz:
“They’re giving Bo Nickal like he’s not even a ranked guy. When is he going to get to a ranked guy? How many more fights?… When I had him on the [JRE] podcast, he said he’s only been striking for two years. It’s crazy. He looks great.”
Watch Joe Rogan and Brendan Schaub talk about Bo Nickal below:
— Bulgarium (@SpringSpringB) January 22, 2024
Brendan Schaub compares Bo Nickal to legendary college football player
Bo Nickal established himself as a collegiate superstar at Penn State by becoming a three-time NCAA Divison I national champion and a three-time Big-Ten conference champion. As a result, he’s widely considered one of the most highly-touted prospects in MMA history.
During the previously mentioned UFC 297 fight companion, Brendan Schaub questionably compared Nickal to Tim Tebow:
“Isn’t he the best? The best, he has it all. Check, check, check, check, checks all boxes. He’s the Tim Tebow of the f*cking UFC.”
Tim Tebow is one of the greatest college football players of all time. The problem with Brendan Schaub’s comparison to Bo Nickal is that Tebow never lived up to his hype in the NFL, which Nickal plans to do in the UFC.
To be fair, the former Penn State wrestler has a long way to go before reaching the expectations brought on by fans and analysts.
