"He's gonna have to play with one of the big names" -  UFC legend thinks Bo Nickal is being prepared for Sean Strickland fight

Bo Nickal and Sean Strickland could be fighting sooner than later according to a former multi-division UFC title challenger.

For Nickal to be just 5-0 as a pro in MMA overall and to be discussed for a hypothetical matchup against the former UFC middleweight champion speaks volumes to how highly some rate the surging prospect.

On a recent episode of Good Guy/ Bad Guy, Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen were discussing the looming fight between Robert Whittaker and Khamzat Chimaev. Amid that discussion, the two former UFC fighters began talking about the middleweight division at large.

During this, DC asked 'The American Gangster' what's next for Strickland, to which Sonnen said:

"Let me give you one, because I have two guesses and they're very different. One is that Sean Strickland is used as a backup fighter for either of these two major matches that we're speaking about. And the second... Daniel, there is a reason that Bo Nickal is getting the push.

"There is a reason that Bo Nickal is getting the shine at UFC 300. I don't know what it is but my guess is at some point, he's gonna have to play with one of the big names. That big name that's sitting available, it's gonna be Sean Strickland."

Check out Sonnen discussing a potential Strickland vs Nickal bout at 9:10 below:

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Bo Nickal and his quick rise through the ranks

As mentioned, Nickal has a spotless record as a professional mixed martial artist with all of those wins coming by way of a first-round finish.

The 28-year-old also has a pair of first-round finishes in amateur MMA before making the jump to the professional ranks. He made that pro debut at iKON FC 3 with a 33-second knockout in June 2022. Bo Nickal then jumped right to the Contender Series circuit and garnered a pair of wins there.

The native of Colorado secured a 62-second rear naked choke and a 52-second triangle choke over Zack Borrego and Donovan Beard, respectively.

Nickal made his official debut with the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 285 in March of last year. He locked in an arm triangle choke against Jamie Pickett to elicit the tap at the 2:54 mark. The most recent fight for Nickal took place last July at UFC 290. He garnered another finish by way of strikes against Val Woodburn on the pay-per-view main card.

Bo Nickal next steps into the cage against Cody Brundage at UFC 300 on April 13 in another pay-per-view main card matchup.