LAS VEGAS – While the majority of the MMA community is clamoring for Bo Knickal's championship potential, the main carder at UFC 300 doesn't like being compared to Jesus Christ.
Knickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has a chance to prove why the UFC rates him so highly when he takes on Cody Brundage in the pay-per-view opener at T-Mobile Arena You will get This will be Nikal's third fight in the promotion, but he has been given more main card placement than multiple former champions.
“I wasn't expecting it,” Nickal told reporters at Wednesday's media day. “I think it's a huge honor for me to be in the position that I'm in on this card, and to be on this card in general, because there are so many great fighters, so much experience, so many pure There are a lot of great players who are doing big things in the sport. I feel like that says a lot about me, the UFC, and our plans, and I think they align. I'm grateful to be where I am and grateful to have this platform to do my work. ”
Although Nikal has accepted his main card role, he has never put himself in that position. The UFC believes they have a huge star of the future on their hands, and putting him in a big spot at a milestone event shows how much they have in mind for this prestigious college wrestler. . Many critics have expressed their opinions on this matter, but Nikkal has largely ignored them.
“At the end of the day, the UFC made a business decision and I feel it makes sense for me to be on the main card,” Nickal explained. “That being said, it doesn't really matter to me when it comes to other people's opinions. I feel like they wax and wane. As I establish myself more in this sport and develop my reputation, 1, I'm sure that in two years' time, people will think it's a no-brainer and when they look back on it, it'll make a lot more sense.”
Among those who share opinions about Nikkal are his opponents. “I know people think of him as like the second coming of Jesus Christ in mixed martial arts, but I don't see it that way,” Brundage said Wednesday during his own media day. He told reporters at the session. Nickal, with his determination and focus on success, is quick to shut down the Biblical metaphor, although he certainly believes in his future.
“As a Christian, I definitely don't like that comparison,” Nickal said. “I don't feel that way about myself at all. I think I'm just trying my best here. … I think it's good for people to say whatever they want to say. Of course people They'll try to promote me or say things that will knock me down. I'm just going out there and trying to accomplish what I want to accomplish. But what they want to do is It doesn't matter to me at all. There's no difference. People want to pick a fight, people want to stir up a fight, I get it.
“For me, no matter what is said before the game or during the game week, we're going to be locked in a cage. So that's what I'm focused on. All that matters is in that moment. It will become clear.”
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