"Who hurt him?" - Fans react as Bo Nickal calls Islam Makhachev's wrestling "better than average"

Bo Nickal has discredited the wrestling skills of another elite fighter and fans are beginning to take notice. The UFC middleweight used his most recent appearance on the Betr Combat channel to give his thoughts on UFC 302 and Islam Makhachev.

In the conversation, Nickal called Makhachev an "alright" wrestler who is only slightly above average. He claimed that the Dagestani is not the same wrestler as Khabib Nurmagomedov but possesses better striking.

Nickal said:

"[Islam Makhachev's wrestling] is alright... His wrestling is not like Khabib's. Khabib has much better wrestling, in my opinion, overall. He's got like tricky, sneaky stuff. I think his striking is maybe a little better than Khabib's... it's better than average."

Fans were not impressed by Nickal's analysis, accusing the Penn State alum of being overconfident. Many in the comments chose to point out the 28-year-old's tendency to be critical of his peers, calling him a "hurt" fighter.

One fan commented:

"Who hurt him?"

Other fans commented:

"No lies told. Bo is better than all of these guys at wrestling"

"Bo Nickal is a bum compared to Islam"

"Says the guy who struggled against a bum lol"

View more fan reactions to Bo Nickal's comments on Islam Makhachev below:

Fans reacting to Bo Nickal calling Islam Makhachev an "alright" wrestler [via @champrds on X]

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Does Islam Makhachev have a wrestling background?

Much like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev has dominated the lightweight division on the back of his wrestling and pressure en route to becoming the 155-pound champion in the UFC. As the no. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Makhachev is unanimously considered one of the best wrestlers in MMA.

However, while the Dagestani has relentlessly trained his wrestling as a lifelong practitioner, his formal background is in Combat Sambo. Like many other Russian fighters, Makhachev was a highly successful Combat Sambo artist, winning several world championships before transitioning to MMA.

Originating in the Soviet Union, Sambo requires many skills necessary to succeed in MMA with an emphasis on wrestling and submissions. However, Sambo is not considered a purely grappling art as it also incorporates basic striking as a full-contact hand-to-hand combat sport.