Bo Nickal and Jon Jones decided to have a little wrestling session at the UFC Performance Institute this week.
The two superstars are slated to compete on UFC 285 this Saturday. In the main event, ‘Bones’ will face Ciryl Gane in his first fight in over three years. Furthermore, it’ll also be Jones’ first fight up at heavyweight, as he’ll attempt to win the vacant title. Francis Ngannou famously left the promotion in January, leaving the championship behind in the process.
Meanwhile, the standout wrestler will collide with Jamie Pickett on the UFC 285 main card. Despite the fight being Nickal’s UFC debut, he’s already being viewed as a future champion. The former NCAA champion himself has stated the same, and that he could beat Alex Pereira right now.
Given the two men’s confidence, it shouldn’t be surprising that the two had a wrestling match. At the UFC Performance Institute, the two had a brief grappling session. The whole ordeal was clearly not serious, as Nickal and Jones were seemingly laughing throughout.
Jon Jones & Bo Nickal having a bit of fun backstage during #UFC285 fight week.
Who’s the better grappler? 👀 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/wEXnvpAdlO
— MMA DIRT (@MMADIRTcom) March 2, 2023
Bo Nickal discusses wrestling with Jon Jones
At UFC 285 media day, Bo Nickal discussed his brief run-in with Jon Jones. The middleweight prospect praised the former champion, and stated that he had had been watching him since he was in the fifth grade.
Bo Nickal also admitted that while Jones was unable to take him down, he still had a good grip. The wrestler also stated that he would be able to emulate the legend’s fighting style and technique.
“Super motivating for me. I remember probably being in the fifth, sixth grade, watching UFC events and seeing Jon Jones dismantle people. So to be on the same card as him is a big honor. I’m very grateful for that opportunity. I think it’s pretty cool.” (h/t MMA Fighting)
He continued, “I was able to meet him yesterday at the [UFC Performance Institute]. He tried to take me down, but I obviously stuffed that and ran around and got behind him and stuff. Again, very grateful to be on the card, and he’s definitely a guy that, his fighting style, I’d like to emulate. He had a pretty strong grip, but overall, it was just straight wrestling, so I had a big advantage.”
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