“To be honest, I don’t care!” Robert Whittaker dismisses UFC phenom Bo Nickal as ‘not ready’ for Top 10 fighters

Robert Whittaker talks about "potential holes' in Bo Nickal's fighting style after watching the UFC 300 performance.

“To be honest, I don’t care!” Robert Whittaker dismisses UFC phenom Bo Nickal as ‘not ready’ for Top 10 fighters

Robert Whittaker speaks on Bo Nickal's performance (Image via Imago)

Robert Whittaker has made some interesting comments about Bo Nickal lately. He recently mentioned some “potential holes” in Nickal’s game when discussing Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage on his podcast. The ‘Reaper’ believed the opponents of Nickal remained the reason for the college wrestling standout’s remarkable performance.

Robert Whittaker is gearing up for his title eliminator bout against Khamzat Chimaev in June. In the middle of preparation, the Australian fighter reviewed the performance of Nickal at UFC 300. The clip from the MMArcade Podcast showed Whittaker critiquing Bo Nickal’s performance.

Don't care, to be honest, I don't care. I don't care for Cody Brundage very much. I think we saw some potential holes in Bo Nickal’s game. He finally got a guy that he couldn’t just do what he wanted with.”
Robert Whittaker via MMArcade
YouTube video

Bo Nickal defeated Cody Brundage via submission in the second round. The American wrestler did not face much trouble in the bout. However, Robert Whittaker said that Nickal has some work to do before he faces the top fighters in the division. He has previously defeated two other opponents before finding himself on the main card of UFC 300.

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Whittaker has previously stated that the UFC was cultivating Bo Nickal, after landing a main card spot at UFC 300. Not only Whittaker but many others had voiced similar statements about Nickal. For now, Nickal will likely continue to fight unranked fighters in the foreseeable future. Whittaker’s statement on Nickal will only become quantifiable when UFC does decide to book against a ranked contender.

Bo Nickal on potentially fighting Robert Whittaker’s opponent Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev had tweeted out ridiculing Bo Nickal’s wrestling at UFC 300. One must note that Cody Brundage defended the takedown and submission very well. As such, Nickal addressed this in two instances, one right after his fight at the post-fight press conference and the other on The MMA Hour.

Bo Nickal berates Khamzat Chimaev
Bo Nickal berates Khamzat Chimaev (via Imago/MMA Fighting)

Nickal initially said that he was not happy with how he performed either. After learning about Chimaev critiquing his performance, Nickal pointed out the stamina troubles of the Chechen fighter. Nickal said it is easy to be critical of a fighter with less experience. However, he said he finished fights while Chimaev had recently won decisions.

When Ariel Helwani asked Bo Nickal about his thoughts on Chimaev, he pointed out that Chimaev did not fight in the UFC in the early stages of his career. He also addressed a potential showdown with the Chechen fighter, saying that it would be good for everybody if they made that fight happen.

Khamzat Chimaev will face Robert Whittaker in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this June. Chimaev could earn the title shot by defeating Whittaker. On the other hand, Nickal remains much further away from a title shot as of now.

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