Sean O’Malley praises Bo Nickal for his UFC 290 performance – “He’s at that level” 

Sean O’Malley has nothing but nice things to say about Bo Nickal. 

The three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and the 2019 Dan Hodge trophy recipient is undeniably the fastest-rising star in the UFC’s middleweight division. ‘The Allen Assassin’ recently faced Val Woodburn at UFC 290. He dispatched ‘The Animal’ via TKO just 38 seconds into the first round. His incredible performance was lauded by fans and fighters alike, with many touting him to be the next big thing in MMA. 

In a recent episode of the BROMalley Show, Sean O’Malley heaped praise on the 27-year-old grappling phenom. ‘Suga’ reflected upon Nickal’s impressive performance against Woodburn last weekend and stated:

“We didn’t even talk about Nickal. Came out and knocked that dude out. That dude looked short. But for Bo to go out there and knock him out in that fashion, he reminds me of a young me… The dude is at that level. He can compete with these guys at the highest level. He’s got hands, he can wrestle like a motherf**ker, and lives a championship lifestyle at an early age.” 

Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley is slated to face Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 for the UFC bantamweight championship on August 19 at the TD Garden in Boston. ‘Suga’ last beat Petr Yan at UFC 280 via a controversial split decision. 

Sean O’Malley predicts a knockout win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 

Sean O’Malley is confident of taking the UFC bantamweight belt away from Aljamain Sterling after their fight at UFC 292 in August. 

O’Malley is currently on an impressive five-fight undefeated run, and last tasted defeat against Marlon Vera at UFC 252 in August 2020. After three consecutive knockout wins, O’Malley secured a razor-sharp split decision against former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280 to secure a title shot. Meanwhile, Sterling is on a nine-fight win streak, last beating former two-division champion Henry Cejudo via split decision at UFC 288. 

Despite ‘The Funk Master’s incredible run as the 135-pound champion, Sean O’Malley is sure about securing a knockout victory. At the UFC 290 media day last weekend, ‘Suga’ outlined his strategy for the upcoming title fight. He said:

“I’m going to do what I do. It’s no secret, this is a striker vs. grappler matchup… I’m going to go out there and try to put his lights out. I do that every time I fight… I built a career off knocking people out in the first round… It can take one shot right on the chin to put him down and I know I’m capable of that, so that’s how I see it going down.”