Bo Nickal‘s highly anticipated UFC debut against Jamie Pickett at UFC 285 was a resounding success. The grappler made quick work of his opponent and scored the third submission win of his career. The 27-year-old confirmed the hype surrounding him by displaying his grappling skills and dominating Pickett in the Octagon. Despite the fight seeming like a one-sided affair, Nickal is now facing controversy for landing an illegal knee to his opponent’s groin. Unfortunately, the knee went unseen by referee Keith Peterson, and the fight continued.
As the fight progressed, Nickal took control of the ground exchange and attempted a guillotine on Jamie Pickett. Although Pickett managed to escape, it eventually resulted in Nickal locking in an arm triangle, securing the victory just over the halfway point of the first round. However, the 27-year-old’s win is now surrounded by controversy, as immediately following the fight, it became clear that Pickett does not plan on letting the results stand without a fight. His manager, LaMont Chappel, has announced they will be appealing the loss, citing the fact that the knee directly led to the submission, no matter how much he protested at the time. However, Bo Nickal has now offered his statement on the controversy, stating that he begs to differ with the situation.
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Bo Nickal comes clean on accusations
In the post-fight interview when asked, Bo Nickal insists that the illegal knee did not lead to the submission and that he won the fight fair and square. Despite his victory, Nickal couldn’t celebrate wholeheartedly due to the accusations that followed him. The 27-year-old responded to the accusations by saying, “It’s weird, bro.”
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He added, “No, no. I don’t [believe to hit the groin]. I think, honestly, I know exactly what happened. I hit him in the leg in the fight and I had him in a bad position on the wall. So, he wanted to get off the wall. And he wanted the referee to stop it. Which, if I would’ve actually hit him low, I would feel bad. Because I wouldn’t want to win that way.”
Nickal further mentioned, “Like, I don’t like- I’m not a cheater and take shortcuts and if I did hit him low, I would’ve relaxed, probably. Or just like, let the referee stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all. It’s weird move, bro.”
Hence, Bo Nickal’s debut victory was illustrious, but it didn’t allow him to celebrate fully due to the accusations surrounding his win. It remains to be seen how the controversy will unfold, but Nickal’s impressive performance in the Octagon cannot be denied.
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Vineet Nandwana