Rising UFC fighter Oban Elliott has publicly supported Bo Nickal following the significant criticism Nickal received after suffering his first professional mixed martial arts defeat.
Nickal, a highly-regarded wrestler known for his rapid transition to MMA, was knocked out by former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier De Ridder in the co-main event at UFC Des Moines. This loss was the first of Nickal`s career since entering MMA, leading to harsh reactions and commentary from fans.
Some viewers quickly labelled Nickal as `fraud checked` after the result. However, Elliott countered this narrative by emphasizing that Nickal, with a professional record of only eight fights, took a substantial step up in competition by agreeing to face a fighter of De Ridder`s proven calibre.
Oban Elliott Speaks Out for Bo Nickal
Oban Elliott is no stranger to negative attention from UFC fans on social media platforms. The confident Welsh athlete remains undefeated in the octagon himself, though some viewers feel his outspoken personality sometimes outweighs his current fighting credentials.
Responding to the backlash against Nickal, Elliott tweeted: “People are criticizing Bo Nickal as if he didn`t just fight RDR, who now has a 20-2 record. He`s a former two-division ONE champion whose only losses are to Malykhin, the current ONE two-division champ (and former three-division champ). This was only Nickal`s 8th MMA fight. You people are unbelievable, lol.”
When some fans further argued that Nickal being taken the distance by Paul Craig in his previous fight also indicated he was `fraud checked`, Elliott dismissed this point firmly, adding: “Dude, Paul is a beast, period!”
Bo Nickal Comments Following His Loss
After his defeat to De Ridder, Bo Nickal remained silent for a day before eventually posting on Instagram to share his thoughts with his followers. His message was brief and accompanied by a photo.
“Grateful for the highs and lows,” Nickal wrote in the caption alongside an image of himself entering the octagon. He added a clear declaration of his future intentions: “I`ll be back.”
Nickal had recently suggested potential future matchups against prominent middleweights like Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis. However, his performance against De Ridder, a significant test, highlighted that he still has areas to develop before being ready to consistently compete with the absolute top contenders in the middleweight division.
Rupert Hartwell