LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Bo Nickal denies low blowing his opponent.
Nickal was successful in his highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut last night (Sat., March 4, 2023) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he submitted Jamie Pickett in the first round. (Watch highlights!)
The former three-time NCAA Division I National Champion earned a Performance of the Night bonus for his impressive win.
While it was a pretty flawless performance, there was some controversy afterwards as Pickett and the internet claimed he was hit with a low blow that led to the takedown, which sealed his fate.
During his post-fight interview, Nickal responded to the low blow accusation.
“It’s weird, bro,” Nickal told reporters. “Honestly, I know exactly what happened. I hit him in the leg, in the thigh. I had him in a bad position along the wall. He wanted to get off the wall, and he wanted the ref to stop it. If I were to have actually hit him low, I would feel bad because I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater. I’m not somebody who tries to take shortcuts. So if I did hit him low, I would’ve just relaxed probably or let the ref stop it. But I didn’t hit him low at all, so it’s a weird move, bro.”
Bo Nickal denies hitting Jamie Pickett low before the takedown and finish at #UFC285
“I don’t want to win that way. I’m not a cheater, I’m not somebody that tries to take shortcuts.” pic.twitter.com/eStbHG5cLI
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) March 5, 2023
According to MMA Junkie, Pickett and his management plan to file an appeal with the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) to overturn the submission win to a no-contest.
The submission loss to Nickal was Pickett’s third in a row, and he falls to a 2-5 in the UFC.
Nickal, on the other hand, is now 4-0 and is looking to fight again in July.
For complete UFC 285 results and highlights click HERE.