Did you think Bo Nickal looked different in his latest outing? The All-American was cruising through his fairly short MMA journey, but that’s not the case anymore! His monumental loss at UFC Des Moines was a tough night for him and his team. However, the question remains: What caused this setback? The rumors suspect a prior injury. After the Penn State Alum’s underwhelming performance, many started pointing out that he didn’t look like his usual confident self against the Dutchman.
The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis even suspected an injury, posting on X, “Bo looked slumped and fatigued in the corner after round one, and then RDR came out and finished the job. Wonder if there’s an injury to the body there, but solid work by RDR to finish the job.” Bo Nickal, on the other hand, kept things vague. He took to Instagram and simply wrote, “Grateful for the highs and lows. I’ll be back” without offering much insight into what went wrong.
Now, when the fans are left scratching their heads, verbose analyst Chael Sonnen believes that he noticed a few signs before the former NCAA champion even stepped into the cage, signs that might have played a part in his loss. During his Good Guy / Bad Guy show, he said, “He never plays around, is he subconsciously giving an excuse ahead of time about the weight that ‘I’ve got to pull’. Is he talking about ‘I’m not big enough?’ Like what message is it that he giving? I realize that maybe we’re looking into that maybe a little bit too far.”
He added, “But, there were a couple of signs through fight week, and the fight went off, Daniel. I mean that simply wasn’t the Bo that I knew. And, I don’t want to take away from de Ridder, I’m just sharing for you. The urgency to get a takedown, let alone the ability to get a takedown. It just wasn’t there, and Bo did get smothered with some shots, and I’ve never seen anybody outman Bo!”
The former title challenger concluded with, “I’ve seen some guys trying to be bigger and stronger throughout the NCAA. And he gave them two or three weight classes to even do it from. But I never saw anyone succeed at it. De Ridder did push Bo around. He just had kind of had the right body at the right leverage to be a nuisance. Bothering Bo the whole time, he never let Bo get comfortable.”
Sonnen didn’t specifically clarify what signs he was referring to, but based on his statement, two things can be assumed: one is the suspected injury before the fight, and the other is the weight cut. Bo Nickal reportedly cut 37 pounds to make 185.5 lbs. He had aimed to add more muscle mass to his frame, but even before the fight, he admitted to CBS Sports that he “might have went a little too far with it,” acknowledging that it might’ve been a misstep.
The hottest middleweight prospect was closer than ever to breaking into the rankings, but there were always whispers that his experience might still be a bit too limited. Now, after suffering the first loss of his career, Bo Nickal’s coach has finally admitted that it might just be the case.
Mike Brown admits that Bo Nickal’s lack of experience caused his first UFC loss
Experience that’s what often separates the prospects from the contenders, and UFC Des Moines was yet another reminder of that. Reinier de Ridder’s championship pedigree ultimately made the difference against Bo Nickal, who walked into the fight with just seven bouts under his belt. His win over Paul Craig at UFC 309 gave many reasons to believe he was evolving fast and might pull off another big victory. However, that wasn’t the case this time, and even American Top Team head coach Mike Brown has now come to terms with that reality.
Brown posted on Instagram, “But the one thing Bo doesn’t have is live fighting cage time, and for this, there is no substitution. MMA fight experience is crucial, and actual time in the cage is extremely important. As a team, we had our concerns about moving so fast, and we realize the dangers of fighting such high-level opponents so early, but Bo is a unique athlete and the UFC has him on a fast track.”
Every improvement starts with honest self-assessment, and Mike Brown, the cornerstone of Bo Nickal’s MMA journey, accepting inexperience as a key factor is the first step toward a meaningful transformation. That being said, the All-American clearly needs to level up his striking game if he wants to compete with elite middleweights. But what else do you think he needs to sharpen before making his return? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Chael Sonnen Admits Bo Nickal’s ‘Uncomfortable’ Reality in UFC Amid Injury Rumors Before Reinier De Ridder Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.