The 28-year-old Penn State legend Bo Nickal recently made some intriguing remarks on Islam Makhachev again. Nickal mentioned that Carter Starocci, who is an NCAA champion, would easily pin down the UFC lightweight champion. Also, the way he sarcastically wrote it makes it more interesting.
Nickal is generally regarded as one of the finest collegiate wrestlers of his generation. In his college career, ‘The Animal’ has won several NCAA Division I national championships. His recent comments might follow a few assessments of Makhachev’s wrestling style. As such, Nickal claimed that the lightweight champion won’t be able to sustain against 23-year-old Starocci.
He’s got tons of competition experience, strength, endurance, and great technique, and a high IQ. He’s taken down everyone put in front of him with relative ease. With that being said, Carter Starocci wins by pin 1st period.
Bo Nickal via X
The comments from Nickal were made following the viral discussions on how Makhachev would do in Division I wrestling. Nickal doesn’t believe he would have much to offer in a traditional American wrestling environment. Interestingly, Starocci also competed under the same Penn State banner as Nickal. This might be one of the reasons why the 28-year-old is supporting a fellow Penn State wrestler.
Interestingly, a few months ago, Nickal also made a few remarks on wrestlers like Khamzat Chimaev and Islam Makhachev. Per the 28-year-old, the UFC lightweight champion is an average wrestler. Not only that, but several UFC legends thought that Nickal could be a threat to Chimaev.
Let’s consider a few things. Islam would have to wrestle 174 given the amount of weight he cuts. He comes from the mountains of Dagestan which historically produces some of the toughest people on the planet. Islam’s mma wrestling is the highest level, which already makes him a… https://t.co/vQBGMlEIup
— Bo Nickal (@NoBickal) August 21, 2024
Meanwhile, a few fellow fighters gave Nickal some fruitful advice following his highly buzzing remarks on others. Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman in particular, wanted the 28-year-old to stop pleasing his fans online. Nickal, however, as it seems, didn’t listen to that. Interestingly, there were even several backlashes from the fans. However, another UFC middleweight fight came in to defend Nickal.
Apart from his notorious activities, Bo Nickal has been quite impressive in his UFC career till now. The Penn State legend made his way to the UFC through the Dana White Contender Series. Interestingly, he is yet to be defeated in the division. Nickal’s most recent victory came against Cody Brundage at UFC 300 via rear naked choke. Following that, the 28-year-old’s social media antics have caused quite a stir.
Chris Curtis defends Bo Nickal following the latter’s recent remarks on Islam Makhachev (Image via Instagram)Fellow UFC middleweight fighter Chris Curtis comes in to support Nickal’s views. Curtis was seemingly displeased with how the netizens reacted. One must note that Curtis always quarrels with fans on X. As a result, he even slammed them for not respecting the views of a top athlete like Bo Nickal.
Lol, look at the people in the comments talking down to this man like they have ANY of the accolades Nickal has in the sport. Some of y’all are absolutely wild…
Chris Curtis via X
As for Nickal, the 28-year-old appreciated Curtis’ support for him later on X itself. However, it remains to be seen how the UFC lightweight champ reacts to this. As of now, Makhachev has been seen enjoying his time off the cage doing boat rides with his friends in Dagestan.
