Oban Elliott has leapt to the defence of Bo Nickal in the face of relentless criticism following his first UFC defeat.
Renowned wrestler Nickal was viciously knocked out by two-weight ONE FC champion Reinier De Ridder last night in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines. The defeat was his first since making the switch to MMA, and fans have been brutal in their assessment.
Some have claimed that Nickal was ‘fraud checked’ by the result. However, Elliott argues that after just eight fights he was taking a massive step up in competition to even get in the ring with someone like De Ridder.
Oban Elliott leaps to Bo Nickal’s defence after UFC Des Moines defeat
Oban Elliott is no stranger to getting abuse from UFC fans on social media. The cocky Welsh star has yet to taste defeat in the octagon, but some viewers believe he is doing more talking than his record is justifying.
“Everyone slating Bo Nickal as if he hasn’t just fought the now 20-2 RDR,” Eliott tweeted amid fan feedback. “Former ONE two weight champion with his only losses coming from Malykhin, current ONE two weight champion (and former 3 weight champion), in his 8th MMA fight. You guys are crazy lol.”
Fans claimed that the fact he had gone to the scorecards with Paul Craig last time out was enough to prove he had been ‘fraud checked’. But Elliott dismissed that idea as well, adding: “Bro Paul is a beast, enough!”
Bo Nickal breaks his silence after UFC Des Moines
Following his defeat to De Ridder, Bo Nickal spent the day remaining quiet before eventually taking to Instagram to give his take to fans. He kept the message brief, sharing a photo with a one-line caption next to it.
“Grateful for the highs and lows,” he wrote alongside a photo of himself stepping into the octagon with a black and white filter. “I’ll be back.”
Nickal has recently teased future matchups against the likes of Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis. But his performance last night in his latest major step up showed he still has a ways to go to compete against the top middleweights.