UFC legend Kamaru Usman suggested that rising middleweight contender Bo Nickal fight Anthony Hernandez in his next fight.
Nickal is coming off back-to-back knockout wins over Rodolfo Vieira and Kyle Daukaus, bouncing back nicely from his first career defeat to Reinier de Ridder. As for Hernandez, he is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Gregory Rodriguez.
Now, Usman is hoping to see the UFC match these two middleweights up next.
Kamaru Usman Wants Bo Nickal to Get a Step Up
Speaking on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, Usman suggested Nickal vs. Hernandez be the next middleweight matchup for both men.
“Bo Nickal, this would be a good test. If you want to slide Bo Nickal up there, this is a phenomenal test. Because Bo Nickal, after that impressive win at the White House, this is a phenomenal one to try to get him in that top 10, right? We’re paying him like a big dog, it’s time to move him up like a big dog. And I think this is a phenomenal fight. Phenomenal fight. Good fight for Bo Nickal, great fight, and it’s also a good fight for ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez,” Usman (via MMAjunkie.com).
Usman Shoots Down ‘Fluffy’ at Welterweight
While Usman’s podcast co-host, fellow UFC great Henry Cejudo, suggested that “Fluffy” moves down to 170 lbs, Usman doesn’t think that’s the right move for him when there are so many potentially exciting fights for Hernandez still left at 185 lbs.
“Welterweight? Why do people always do this thing? OK, just because someone loses, like, yeah, got to switch weight classes. No, there’s a lot of guys there in that division for him to fight. … Looking at the rankings, there’s so many guys in that division, (like) Israel Adesanya. Man, there’s a lot of guys in that division for him to potentially fight. So it’s not just, ‘Oh yeah, he lost to him, he’s gone.’ We’ve got Caio Borralho, we’ve got Christian Leroy Duncan. You’ve got so many guys here,” Usman said.
We’ll see what the UFC matchmakers ultimately decide to do, but Nickal vs. Hernandez certainly is a fight that makes sense.
Kamaru Usman Suggests Bo Nickal’s Next UFC Fight