UFC middleweight Caio Borralho believes competitor Bo Nickal is overhyped and not ready to face top-ranked fighters, despite his undefeated professional MMA record.
Bo Nickal, a three-time NCAA Division I champion, is currently undefeated as a professional MMA fighter with four wins in just nine months. However, fellow UFC middleweight prospect Caio Borralho is not impressed by Nickal’s track record. In a recent episode of the podcast Trocação Franca, Borralho argued that Nickal has yet to be truly tested in mixed martial arts, stating, “Too much hype, man. Too much hype. I hate hype. I hate when people say I’m hyped or anything like that because it’s not hype, it’s hard work.”
Nickal’s MMA career began with two amateur wins before he turned professional in June 2022. Within a short time, he defeated John Noland in 33 seconds and subsequently took down Zack Borrego and Donovan Beard on Dana White’s Contender Series. Most recently, Nickal won over Jamie Pickett in his UFC debut and is scheduled to face Tresean Gore at UFC 290 on July 8. Despite all of his victories coming in the first round, Borralho believes Nickal is not ready to face more seasoned competitors like himself. He said, “I won’t give him too much attention because he can barely move on the feet, his style is so ugly. I don’t think he’s ready to fight anyone at my level, not even guys close to the top 20.”
Borralho has an impressive record of his own, with a 3-0 under the UFC banner against Makhmud Muradov, Armen Petrosyan, and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. Additionally, he holds two DWCS victories against Aaron Jeffery and Jesse Murray. Co-headlining a UFC event for the third time on Saturday, Borralho expresses disinterest in facing Nickal in the near future. He explained, “If he fights three more times and wins those three fights and do I nothing, I stay where I am, cool, we can fight, but I don’t see a point. My path is clear, my plan is set.” Instead, Borralho aims to challenge top 15 fighters like Kelvin Gastelum, whom he is more interested in fighting than Nickal.