Bo Nickal has opened up about his “super positive” interaction with UFC president Dana White. Nickal, a highly-accomplished folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, made his professional MMA debut earlier this year.
His MMA record stands at 2-0. The 26-year-old’s last fight transpired at the DWCS (Dana White’s Contender Series) 49 event earlier this month. Bo Nickal dominantly beat Zachary Borrego, submitting him in just 62 seconds.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Nickal has now shed light upon his behind-the-scenes interaction with Dana White after the DWCS 49 event. ‘The Allen Assassin’ stated:
“I chatted with [White] briefly. He was super positive. He said he was obviously incredibly excited about the fight and how it went. He gave me a bottle of his whiskey, which I didn’t drink. I don’t drink. But I thought that was a nice little token of appreciation. It was cool. And I said, ‘I’m ready next week if you want me in there. So, I can just stay out here in Vegas.’ But plan was for end of September. So, we’re in there end of September.”
Dana White on why he didn’t offer Bo Nickal a UFC contract despite his win at DWCS 49
One of the key points of discussion emerging from the DWCS 49 event was that in spite of Bo Nickal’s exceptional performance, Dana White didn’t offer him a UFC contract.
During the post-fight press conference, White addressed this and suggested that it was because he wants Nickal to acquire more experience before joining the UFC.
Furthermore, the UFC boss drew parallels between Nickal and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. He alluded to the fact that Lesnar – a widely-revered amateur wrestler in his own right – was one of the rare, relatively inexperienced MMA fighters who achieved great success in the UFC.
Nevertheless, Dana White indicated that he’d rather have Nickal gain more experience before pushing him against world-class opposition in the UFC. White said:
“Let’s get him one more fight and let’s test him. Gets past that with flying colors, we bring him in and we give him a fight in the UFC. I think only one guy has come in at like 1-0 and did anything, and I think it was Brock. And to be honest with you, I don’t remember. Brock was something like that. So, yeah, he’s a stud.”
Presently, Bo Nickal is set to face Donovan Beard at the DWCS event on September 27. The consensus is that defeating Beard would earn Nickal a UFC contract.
Watch Nickal discuss the topic at 1:20:20 in the video below: