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Bo Nickal at U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Wrestling

NCAA prodigy wants to follow Bo Nickal's footsteps, eyes UFC success

NCAA prodigy Carter Starocci plans on following in Bo Nickal's footsteps and becoming successful in the UFC.

Carter Starocci recently became a three-time NCAA wrestling champion and won his team their 10th title in the last 12 years. Speaking about what's next for him, the Penn State wrestler revealed that he is eyeing becoming a four-time champion and potentially winning the Olympics. While speaking to the media, Starocci said:

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"I kind of want to be a four-timer, and how the Olympics fall, that will be next year, my senior year. If I come back and wrestle next year, we'll see. I plan on winning the Olympics. That's where my head is."

Interestingly, Carter Starocci also plans on making a shift to MMA. He desires to follow in the footsteps of another three-time NCAA champion and current UFC fighter, Bo Nickal.

"I love [wrestling], but I also love fighting and I see Bo Nickal eating those dudes like it's candy. It's pretty easy I think that game's a lot easier. So we'll just take it a day at a time."
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Watch the video below:

next Penn St to MMA prospect Carter Starocci might be leaving school a year early after winning back to back to back national championships
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Bo Nickal reponds to Michael Chandler's comments

Bo Nickal has made waves in the sport since debuting professionally back in June last year. Nickal, a former three-time NCAA champion, is one of the hottest prospects in the sport and made his UFC debut earlier this month at UFC 285.

Nickal picked up an impressive first-round submission victory Jamie Pickett. A lot has been said since then, with many considering him to be the next big thing in the UFC. However, UFC lightweight Michael Chandler offered a piece of advice to Dana White's Contender Series graduate.

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Chandler shared that he believes Nickal's confidence could come across as arrogance to the fans. While addressing Chandler's comments during an interview with Ariel Helwani, the three-time NCAA champion said:

"I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that statement. I think Michael Chandler is a fan of me. I think Michael Chandler wants me to win. First off he said my potential is exponential... He’s talking about it in the perspective of the fans. If I say, ‘give me Khamzat, I’ll violate this guy,’ 99 per cent of MMA fans are going to say, ‘Bo Nickal is an idiot.’ They don’t know what they’re talking about."

Watch the video below:

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Edited by
Tejas Rathi
 
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