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Bo Nickal's loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines has been the talk of the town among fans. However, it also drew the attention of surging lightweight grappler Chase Hooper, who was critical of one particular reaction to the loss, which was from MMA Joey.
For context, MMA Joey is a YouTuber and MMA content creator. He reacted to Nickal's defeat with excitement, seemingly thrilled by the loss. MMA Joey also took the opportunity to disparage Nickal as a fighter.
Having been the recipient of similar treatment, Hooper took to X and wrote the following in Nickal's defense:
"Coming up it really helped me get over the hate comments when I realized that these are the type of dudes leaving them lol. Bro is an absolute goober"
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The MMA fandom wasted no time in matching Hooper's take on those who devote themselves to disparaging other fighters. One fan even compared MMA Joey to MMA Guru, who engages in similar behavior, though to a more visible degree.
"Is that an MMA Guru?"
Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also chimed in.
"That guy definitely w*nks it during fights."
Some fans accused MMA Joey of being anti-American.
"He hates anything American"
Others, though, agreed with the criticism of Nickal.
"He's not wrong though. Bo Nickal did get exposed"
A collage of reactions can be seen below:
Bo Nickal's last two fights have failed to impress
For all of his amateur wrestling credentials, Bo Nickal has looked subpar in his last two fights. The TKO loss to Reinier de Ridder is the most damaging result to his reputation, as it is his first professional defeat. Before that, though, he was behind an uninspiring performance against Paul Craig.
He exhibited lackluster striking, limited to just an overhand right, and refused to implement his wrestling against the Scotsman. Nickal won, but it was a listless victory that led to many reevaluating just how effective high-level American wrestlers usually are in the sport today.
