Unbeaten UFC prospect Bo Nickal thinks internet celebrity Logan Paul could compete at a high-level in the promotion.
Nickal, 27, makes his highly-anticipated UFC debut this Saturday when he faces Jamie Pickett on the undercard of Jon Jones' heavyweight title fight against Ciryl Gane. Nickal and Paul are both talented college wrestlers and competed in the Division I Championships, the highest level of intercollegiate sports.
Paul stopped wrestling to pursue a YouTube career but has since re-entered the combat sports world by competing in boxing. Nickal thinks Paul could excel at the highest level in the UFC because of his wrestling background, but insisted the YouTube star must dedicate himself to MMA if he was serious about the career switch.
"I have no doubt that he would fair super well," Nickal told Mirror Fighting. "Obviously he's a super athletic guy. He's extremely talented and motivated. I think his mindset with what he's been able to achieve in the media space and boxing, if he put his mind to it in MMA and wanted to compete at a high-level in the UFC than he would do that.
"From my perspective and beliefs, I think for the most part with a successful individual the concepts translate over any area and anything that you are trying to accomplish. If you put the same energy and attitude into another area, then you be successful as well. So there's no doubt in my mind that he could compete at a high-level in MMA."
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Paul has teased a UFC fight by calling out Paddy Pimblett and Dana White has "entertained the idea" of him fighting in the promotion. Nickal never met Paul on the met during their college wrestling days but did share mutual opponents, which is what gives Nickal confidence that Paul would excel in the UFC.
"We never wrestled but we had common opponents. Him in Ohio, which is a really tough wrestling state, a lot of the guys that he competed against in high school went on to be high-level collegiate wrestlers. I'm sure if he would have stuck with wrestling and put as much effort into that than he does in the media space then he would have been very successful in the sport as well."
