Bo Nickal says he’s the best wrestler to come into MMA, is he right?

Chael Sonnen talks Bo Nickal on this episode of Beyond the Fight
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All things UFC and MMA with the undefeated Bad Guy, Chael Sonnen. UFC Champions, Jon Jones, Conor McGregor, Colby Covington, Khamzat Chimaev, the MMA hour and commentary on the latest UFC news, UFC Champions in 2022, UFC knockouts and finishes.

[@franciscosandiego3026]

Chael is the goat of mma that's all.

[@blakemarchand6650]

Word

[@jacksdad734]

Youre committed. Ive seen you all over the place.

[@josephmatthews7698]

The snakes in the media have suppressed the evidence of Chael crushing Fedor, Jones and GSP in their prime. They had the balls to show 4 rounds with Silva but then changed the rules in round 5 to mean you lose the match instead of just the round. The most hated and most celebrated man in sports forever.

[@kalinchildress1260]

Wells he’s undefeated and undisputed, so yeah.

[@j24130]

Lol

[@zachriddle]

The past Couple of weeks, Chael has put out, what I feel is his very best work. So good. In a time when there is not a whole lot going on...Chael is killing it. This is good. Chael's Hot tub post last week...Probably his very best work. Amazing.

[@dylanandrejic4902]

Hot tub post?

[@mikehawk4455]

@@dylanandrejic4902 it was a video about Chael’s son

[@sirveza5755]

Nothing is funnier to me than when Chael says “You will have never heard this before” while saying something I heard him say years ago 😂

[@milwaukeebrewers6337]

Well he's not talking to you.... he's talking to 90% of the people who haven't..

[@jonathantaylor7167]

@@milwaukeebrewers6337 no shit?

[@Cucumberdrx]

.....or heard him say yesterday

[@johnb7337]

He's said it within the last month or so

[@brockramsay8772]

@@milwaukeebrewers6337 and he stated his comment was about him not everyone else so why you brought it up baffles me

[@offroad5798]

Im so glad Chael covered this, this is huge. Beyond happy and excited for Bo's future

[@6em974]

Henry was better. Sorry Bo. DC also has an argument as he not only made it to the Olympics but did in a weight class that wasn't optimal. Add in Askern too who was also a multiple time NCAA champ, also won the hodge trophy, and also was an olympian. To be fair to Bo he was a wrestling world champ on a year the Olympics were not hosted and didn't qualify for the Olympic team because he lost to David Taylor, who won the Gold medal that year.

[@izzyizzy6608]

Forgetting about Silver Medalist Yoel Romero

[@Aaron-mh5bo]

Don’t forget Mark Madsen outta Sweden two silver medals and darn close to a gold. Bo is REALLY REALLY good but yeah best is a hard ticket to cash in a sport like MMA

[@Aaron-mh5bo]

Correction Denmark^

[@jimberry5318]

Brock Lesnar man......he was wrestling champ of the whole universe

[@6em974]

@@izzyizzy6608 The thing is wrestlers such have Jordan Burroughs have come out and stated the World Championships are harder to win than the Olympics due to having to go through more tournament rounds. I actually do feel Bo has a stronger argument than Yoel bc for all we know he could'v been the second best on the planet the year he didn't qualify. Yoel's best wrestling achievement is being a legitimate World Champ in freestyle back in 1999, which Bo also did in 2019. To beat his argument I thought it would be fair to compare him to people who were top of the food chain at multiple wrestling styles. It's defiantly a really good argument from his point of view tho as folkstyle wrestling transitions much better than freestyle and Henry went right from being a state champ at the high-school level to training for the Olympics so he missed out on the NCAA. When you look at it like that the only real argument is potentially Askern.

[@Jackson_d1515]

Without Chael videos my day would be significantly worst

[@giorgiopigola]

Your day are yet insignificantly

[@johnbraucher1499]

Sounds like you need to get out beyond your stronghold.

[@riaddaniels2823]

I love when Chael talks about wrestling applied to MMA.

[@Red_AIert]

Nickel ain’t wrong. I watched him wrestle in college when available on TV and he’s a straight up bad ass. To see him already using his hands like that tells me he absorbs and applies his standup skills well for a up and coming MMA fighter. I’d like to see him learn to keep his head offline more and continue to learn to gauge distance as he progresses. 👍🏽

[@utubedude2842]

His static strength is unreal

[@planejane7093]

This is gonna be fun when this guy comes a complete champ .....watch out bones

[@conormcgregorwasnevermyfri1984]

I guess he’s never heard of CM Punk, sad to see this level of arrogance when the GOAT wrestler has already made his mark in the division. But I guess it’s just one of these things…

[@Bushey4545]

that guy is good, it's like he only knows two things kicking ass and chewing bubble gum and he's all out of gum

[@johnmarkson1998]

youre right. keep it mind brock lesnar scored an upset win over punk back in 2013 which just shows you how good a prime brock lesnar really was too. for bo to say he is better then these legends of the sport shows he has a lot to learn still.

[@dirtysodadakota9754]

Bunch of casuals bro smh

[@harrygreb3457]

The best in the world

[@KennyWin23]

I knew there'd be atleast 1 idiot who doesn't understand sarcasm

[@markmalczynski2923]

I love the very specific detail at the end of the video. Amazing. Very helpful.

[@curtiswiley1687]

I’m now going to watch MMA(UFC) again to see how Bo does…I believe he will be a champion in the ring like he was on the mat…might even be better if that is possible LETS GO !!

[@Father0four]

Chael has awesome takes on his subjects of choice. I have always understood there is a difference between wrestling and mma wrestling and I could never explain it the way chael just did. Thanks for putting these words in my head uncle Chael.

[@intothecountry74]

FWIW Bo has a unique and dynamic style. More fluid than most, I see it translating well into MMA. Should be able to wrestle “through an opponent”

[@bettybunbun9664]

Never heard the terms "wrestling through" and "wrestling to an opponent". Uncle Chael always imparting knowledge to his peasant viewers.

[@drewwilson6639]

Still don't completely understand what he's talking about

[@allthingsportsbrunson796]

I believe my cousin Zac Brunson wrestled him a few times in college. I think twice… but this dude is legit, I’m super happy you’re making content on him on a regular basis. He’s gonna be a menace

[@vincentmontgomery9770]

Dude is subpar

[@johngault7329]

His father, Coach Nichols, was my son's wrestling coach Wasn't a fan of his father. He was more worried about getting a better job than he was the wrestlers...

[@danieldares2578]

Yes Zac got pinned by Bo even though he was very good!

[@sethdominickortiz]

Wrestlers are the most motivated individuals I enjoy every friend I’ve met and exchanged time with freestyle or just talking I am Not the best but it’s always good to lock up with someone

[@LWT80]

Bold statement. He's definitely not the most credentialed and skill wise he's not fought anyone yet so who knows. I believe that he believes it, now he's got to prove it.

[@enigmachine]

Your point that wrestling in MMA is vastly different is spot on, Uncle Chael. GSP. Not a pure wrestler pre MMA, but became one of the best for / in MMA. 😎👊 #UFC75

[@cardawg10]

great explanation. Not enough people know just how badass folkstyle wrestling kicks ass in real world fighting. Chael breaks down perfectly.

[@zackblank957]

Been a fan of Bo for a couple years now. I like watching wrestling collegiate, this dude is the best I’ve seen

[@MerriweatherMcWiggan]

"You're welcome"

[@chipnwoods]

Being a former D1 wrestler myself I agree with you on folk style world champ. Plus freestyle and folk style are much different.

[@BossCat42]

Glad to see Bo get some exposure

[@brandonmaynard9507]

This was a great breakdown. Thanks Uncle Chael.

[@onedudesopinion6197]

Fantastic explication of wrestling to, vs wrestling through. My former MMA coaches were all college wrestlers and they had the exact same philosophy.

[@christophermoss8434]

This is some amazing advice Chael. I’m a wrestler and had never considered these things. 🙏

[@maybelegal1177]

Bo Nickal was one of the greatest wrestlers in college wrestling history , and one of the greatest wrestlers in history . He used to just embarrass D1 athletes and people on the world level. I hope he becomes what the wrestling community wanted Ben askren to be and take home a title one day.

[@neonbrigador3928]

Askren has several world titles.

[@owenmillette64]

He was what the people wanted him to be? He Was a raining champ in bellator but the UFC signed him when he was out of his prime.

[@chipplylar1622]

@@neonbrigador3928 And like didnt lose for 10 yrs

[@amross2112]

And then got his ass ROASTED by J'den Cox. Nowhere near David Taylor's level either. Bo Nickal is not NEARLY one of the best USA wrestlers of his generation, let alone of all time.

[@DragunovWayne]

@@owenmillette64 They made him famous for being knocked out in seconds by Jorge Masvidal's flying knee 🤣🤣

[@arashbigdeli8778]

I am a huge wrestling fan, grew up in a country where wrestling is #2 sport nationally and in all honesty, I think Bo being two times champion in folkwresteling is more relevant to MMA fighting than his 1 freestyle. Most of the good traditional ground techniques are banned/useless in freestyle since they don't bring in points. I have seen Olympians get dominated in matches where those moves are allowed. ps. some monsters like Yazdani grew up doing traditional and can do both but can't show half of their skills in olympics.

[@timchurch2390]

Interesting, thanks for the info

[@natechilton4611]

3x ncaa champ. 4x finalist

[@ryu-ken]

You may be right

[@joppo6997]

Bo is a three time D1 champion (folkstyle)

[@planejane7093]

I grew up in the circle too , though it has been over 30 years since I was in the circle. You brought up very good points here, and I agree.

[@KusHNinja]

I could listen to Mr Sonnen talk wrestling all day.

[@johnthomason3256]

Bo nickal forever. Followed the dude on instagram for years. Him and his now wife

[@juntjoonunya9216]

That's some wise words right there. No one's broken that difference down and articulated yet. But very key distinction. Wrestle through in mma(cuz your opponent might not(and prolly won't) wrestle with you like in wrestling)

[@JC-hs5ng]

I love Chael because he's so memey, but he picks his spots. When it's something he can really relate to and grab a hold of he is sincere, passionate and thorough in his analysis. He makes things fun and interesting with his energy. Really great clip Chael.

[@SneakySniperGuy]

Just keep talkin my brother. Love your show.

[@shimmzalmighty6641]

Damn right well said . Very well said. Wrestling and fighting two very different games when it comes to wrestling.

[@shimmzalmighty6641]

Lol that being said I'm rooting for bo. I'm on board.

[@amhawk8742]

Chael sure as hell is right about wrestling to vs wrestling through an opponent. I can take a guy down who's way more technical than me & keep him down every time he posts just by driving forward & someone less technical than me can do the same if they time the shot well. That's why Khabib was so good too, he knew how to use pressure and distract with sweeps.

[@uncircumcisedcircus]

Fedor did something similar, he would collide with his opponents to off balance their hips.

[@zplitterz]

Best episode yet. And true wisdom at the end.

[@timothyschule3831]

Hasn’t proved us wrong yet. Respect to the young man and everyone that goes into a ring and risks his life

[@Joe-ui3nr]

Thanks, Chael. Extremely educating post. I get it now.

[@krisbishop7452]

I love how Chael helps raise awareness for folkstyle 🖤

[@davidmgill]

He is clearly forgetting Chael P. Sonnen.

[@geoffreysorkin5774]

It is important to remember that all GOAT conversations are actually GOATOTCPS (Greatest of all time other than Chael P. Sonnen) discussions. The ending is left out to save time because it is obvious.

[@barneydozzi614]

I was gonna ask you tomorrow where the bo video was because he looked good in there

[@sethdominickortiz]

I love grappling Always goes to the ground and right back up Who stands up faster has got the uppercut Unfortunately I didn’t put myself into more competitive environments growing up Luckily I spent some time with boxing, judo and jujitsu enough to defend myself decently Not fighting more then 1 guy at a time if I have a choice lol I miss grappling

[@aron8949]

Can’t wait to see him fight real competition, I’ll be tuned in. His stand up looked great.

[@Look73689]

Against a can

[@DragunovWayne]

He should go to Bellator, imagine how amazing it would be to see him against Yaroslav Amosov and Logan Storley if he went to welterweight or being another fighter to beat Gegard Mousasi (nothing against Mousasi of course)

[@Look73689]

@@DragunovWayne i can't imagine that

[@markpogue8334]

Holy smokes, that was awesome insight! I loved that.

[@jeffayers65]

Brilliant commentary Chael. Just another reason Folkstyle is superior to Freestyle. Bo's work-ethic and character will help him rise to the top of MMA.

[@kaylumgoodell1081]

Yes he is. Been watching him since he was in high school and he just keeps getting better and better and last night's performance showed it

[@mr.ditkovich6379]

Cejudo is a gold medalist, he's definitely better

[@hunterwaits408]

Man I aint never admitted to being a fan of anybody, but I'm a Chael fan. I must admit.

[@FamilyChannelfun32]

Wow 1 million Subs. Congrats Chael

[@jocrowl704]

Chael’s analysis regarding folk-style, as it pertains to MMA is brilliant.

[@postwarmage2839]

Debut was amazing!

[@rollsgracie268]

Not only is Henry Cejudo amazing but as a coach as a teacher wow and it’s tricky takedowns Interesting to see him come back even teachs Jon Jones

[@jersey_plug9421]

I remember Joe Rogan saying Brandon Vera was an alternative on the Olympic wrestling team, and even Shogun took him down.

[@toryshafer4023]

Bo looked amazing in his debut

[@phillygang1117]

Great video Uncle Chael!

[@delvega1975]

Sonnen is a genius. Has a level of understanding that dwarfs anyone else in MMA

[@jedsteelwell2354]

Damn good advice by the bad guy

[@Nay1985.]

Excellent take

[@tuckerkey5319]

Bo Nickal vs Khamzat when they are both in their primes would be an INSANE must see matchup. Hopefully it happens one day considering khamzat does move up to middleweight.

[@BriasRocks]

@AHHHlol Kham is a pretty damn good wrestler it'd be a damn good fight. His swedish record while it being sweden was ridiculous.

[@stinkmage]

very good point

[@jsvalina3503]

Looking forward to his contender fight next Tuesday!!!!!

[@ronwitt8720]

Congrats on the million subscribers chael

[@unwnme]

He seems to match Chimaev's wrestling regarding explosiveness and pressure. He also seem to have decent punching power and technique. They would for sure be an interesting match up, Bo would be ready when he has fought his way to Chimaev. But(!) Chimaev is not getting matches apparently (per reputation mind you), so maybe Bo could get a short cut to fight Chimaev (?).

[@raymondzellar5523]

My hometown had a bar called bonickies and that is all I can think about when I hear this dude's name.

[@devinhorton3055]

What about duck unders, ankle picks, underhook series?

[@Tfunrox]

Let's not forget about Ed Ruth. 3 timer out of Penn State too

[@rojofish504]

Uncle Chael knows

[@COACHWARBLE]

The wrestling community loves Uncle Chael!!!

[@fabricationnation8052]

Such a great point about WORLD Champion

[@aronalvord]

Good point, a lot of people don't understand those differences

[@stephenandrew6087]

Uncle Chael "I dont dip but I have a dip lip" Sonnen spittin fire

[@hw_plainview1179]

Been saying that!

[@msfkmsfk]

I'm pretty stupid so I don't get all of the secondary messages and implications but now I might be starting to piece these things together. With that being said, I ain't really looking for any type of revenge.......at least not yet. I'd rather focus on working, making money, and learning as much about my electrical engineering major as possible. So long as the process isn't to daunting or taxing.

[@ericcomstock2249]

What the hell are you talking about

[@geo5291]

I'll date you. You have money and bought the crypto dip.

[@nickladucer7178]

Chael dropped the attom bomb of wrestling/mma knowledge

[@Ooga_Boogaaaaa]

All depends how well he can adapt. He should go to AKA tbh. We see d1 wrestlers get man handled all the time. MMA wrestling is so different

[@texasw1]

Uncle chael is giving out gems💯

[@SevenStarLeaf]

Chael, if Figgy goes up to 135 like he is threatening to do, that would make it 7 champions in the 135 division. How do you think he would fair against the other top guys at 135?

[@robert2690]

It proves that 125 needs to go.

[@P_steez]

Every great wrestler believes they are the best thing to come to MMA ever lol. No way he’s better than Yoel, cejudo, cormier, khabib, askren etc the list goes on.

[@jonmoris9354]

its not that, problem people dont realise mma wrestling and sport wrestling are different not everyone can pulll it off, for me one of the best mma wrestlers was randy couture but he was a olympic alternate where as some medalists have done mma and failed so bo nicjel maybe more accomplished as a sport wrestler than some of the guys you mentioned he may not be able to pull it off the same in mma

[@leebates4075]

Bo is the best wrestler this day and age and none of those guys you mentioned could ever compete with a man of his size anyway, he's 6'1 and almost 200 lb.

[@jwr3289]

@@leebates4075 haha I'm sure heavyweight DC would be scared of all 200 pounds of him, middle/current light heavy weight Yoel too, you sausage

[@Scheboygan8767]

@@leebates4075 if he was the best he would be an Olympian but he’s not

[@P_steez]

@@jwr3289 hahaha too true😂

[@user-qr6gu8hh4l]

Wrestling is a great foundation but it's all the area in between where strikes are the game changer .

[@JM-wf2to]

I've long thought folkstyle translates much better than free but I have no experience in mma Soo it's nice hearing chael say it.

[@geoffsullivan7902]

Very excited for Bo and this chapter in his athletic career. He’s got the scale beat already.😎

[@geraldhoffpauir5048]

Love ya man…that fador fight was something. You tried…but fador was just a beast.

[@peacekeeperbuddies]

Mark Schultz is the best wrestler to ever fight in MMA. 3x ncaa champion, 2x world champion, 1x Olympic champ. Bo needs to show some respect. Mark was a powerhouse. Far stronger and more explosive. Mark was a nationally ranked gymnast as well. Beast

[@dmcgarry07]

while i completely agree, i do think he’s just boosting his stock by saying these things, i’ve personally never heard of someone being fast tracked to a belt that interviews any other way lol.

[@executivelifehacks6747]

Whoa. He only fought once, right? But absolute unit for sure

[@executivelifehacks6747]

Look fwd to seeing more of Bo Nickal. Nice KO he recently did.

[@justingreen4450]

Thank you Lord Chael.

[@jays1de]

chael with consecutive gems!

[@Tdinh79]

If Chael says Bo was a 3x folkstyle world champion, I believe it, even though folkstyle is a US sport, not international.

[@lordtray3148]

I don’t know if everyone deserves this piece of golden info chael

[@louissantiago9857]

I know Bo Nickoles is a great wrestler; im intersted to see how his hands are ; if he can Bob and weave , and also intersted how his Jiu-Jitsu is!!!

[@BriasRocks]

I kinda feel like, he's a wizard at learning technique. Im serious i can genuinely see him being the next khabib type of style. Wrestle and submit. I know bjj takes years to master but if anyone can do it, it's nickal. Edit PS..as one of the most dominant penn state wrestlers ever, dude has insane strength and conditioning, could def throw some heavy hands once he's got it down

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

Folk Style(collegiate) is no joke. Bo is going to have a hell of a career.

[@ricovanderheijden9683]

It's impossible to say who is the best wrestler to ever compete in MMA. The claim is more an opinion then facts. I've heard the quote "There's levels in this game" multiple times. Ben Askren and Twood kept saying they are D1 champs while Usman was a D2 scrub. I saw Usman take down Twood easily, I saw Jon Jones take down Olympian DC, I saw non collegiant wrestler GSP take down almost every opponent he fought. So these claims are just BS to me...

[@saz2248]

Perfectly put. Also Brunson took down Olympian Yoel Romero. MMA grappling is such a different beast from traditional free style and whatnot.

[@michaelanselmi2292]

Pretty sure Twood only ever won a conference championship , All American twice . Far from a three time national champion and a runner up like Bo. Also yes mma wrestling is much different then folk or free style wrestling . But I’m sure being good at either of those helps a lot in mma .

[@tallyotoinc]

Classic uncle Chael changing the story to fit his point. Before bo came along he swore Greco-Roman was the best for mma.

[@jaysantos11]

he did emphatically

[@sully7108]

6:59 how many people on this planet can say this without it being a lie? Chael GOAT

[@darrellowings2343]

DC and Henry CJ have Olympic medals. Welcome Bo to fighting. Looking forward to seeing what you can do.

[@GOPRO4ND]

Dc was an Olympian not a medalist

[@brandonjohnson2350]

I'm biased because I'm an Askren fan. But Askren had such an amazing wrestling career and then dominated in MMA with literally only wrestling. So I say Ben was the best wrestler to cone to MMA

[@dirtydan3842]

Yeah but he was fighting bums in bum organizations

[@amross2112]

Randy Couture and Khabib were both clearly better wrestlers and were UFC champions. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves.

[@baguetteman4669]

askren had two less finals appearances and one less title than nickal. he was also simply less dominant in his matches.

[@danieldares2578]

Ben was great and his Hodge trophy proved it. But he didn't pin people like Bo!

[@lawrence4301]

@@dirtydan3842 no he wasnt lol

[@MisterMultiKill]

@chael sonnen love your vids interesting points. Fighting is interesting with guys who don’t come to UFC like Bas Ruten you could argue the best fighter in the best league(UFC) actually isn’t the world champion because the best fighter in the world may not be in the best league(of course we will never know for sure if the top UFC 155er or 170 or 185er could take Ruten depending on where he would be but this is just one example). It’s interesting in basketball too, without a doubt the MVP of the nba is the best player in the world that year in 99% of peoples opinions, you could argue Luka one year prior to joining the league was the actual best player in the world with no MVP award or being in the NBA. The best group of NBA players do lose in the olympics but you could say that America would have won 9 times if they played 10 games against the team who won. I don’t have any argument I just think that it’s interesting.

[@NicholasRodriguezN7]

I subbed to Fight Pass just to watch his fight! It was worth it.

[@Shaythe]

1 million subscribers and not a single one of them are as tough as Chael Sonnen!

[@jhtsurvival]

I love what chael does for wrestling in America. Him calling NCAA a world championship is true to an extent and I hope it sticks

[@zeekthegeek4538]

Do a live q and a chael my child.

[@alexmakosky1523]

For the sports such as football and basketball, winning the championship in just America alone is equivalent to being a world champion because they are already going against the best competition in the world. There is no where else in the world that could even compete, not to mention if you are good at football or basketball and live in another country, you will already move to the United States in order to compete.

[@robert2690]

Due to investors and lots of money invested in the league. Duh

[@dadlife333]

You need to talk about Bo wanting to build dominate wrestlers. Thru Penn State and his MMA gym.