Daniel Cormier thinks Bo Nickal is back on track in his path of pursuing UFC gold.
Nickal (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) rebounded from his first-career loss to Reinier de Ridder with a big head kick knockout of Rodolfo Vieira (11-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 322 featured prelim at Madison Square Garden.
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The standout wrestler flipped off the crowd in frustration of being doubted, but Cormier hasn’t given up on Nickal’s championship potential.
“Bo Nickal had one of the nastiest head-kick knockouts,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “It was exactly what that kid needed after losing his first fight. So many people were ready to write him off. He proved that not only should you not write him off, but he’s getting better. He set that head kick up beautifully. They’re doing some great work with Bo down at American Top Team, and Bo does still look like one of the American-born guys that could potentially be a world champion.”
Prior to the de Ridder loss, Nickal received criticism for his lackluster decision win over Paul Craig at UFC 309. The 29-year-old has been the betting favorite for every one of his UFC fights.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Daniel Cormier still touts Bo Nickal as future champion after UFC 322
