3-time NCAA Division I national champion Bo Nickal has had a flying start to his career, all thanks to the dominance of his wrestling prowess. Since starting in the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, all of his fights have ended in first-round finishes except for the last one. Having made such an impact, former double champion Henry Cejudo claims that Nickal has the caliber to overwhelm even someone like Israel Adesanya.

Israel Adesanya, 35, is a vastly experienced and world-traveled fighter, who faced and defeated the cream of the crop in the middleweight division. But the last two consecutive defeats may have given shape to some doubts in Henry Cejudo‘s mind, who predicts a grim fate should the former 2-time champion face the 28-year-old prospect.

Bo Nickal’s wrestling will overpower Israel Adesanya, claims Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo is an Olympic medal-winning wrestler, and that’s the key aspect of his fighting style. Similarly, he recognizes when someone has credible wrestling skills, and Bo Nickal is one of them. During a recent interview, ‘Triple C’ claimed that the best thing about the 28-year-old’s wrestling style is that he’s one of the best when it comes to being in the driver’s seat while controlling a fight on a vertical base.

“Bo Nickal’s got good top control. So, it’s not just the wrestling, but [also] the top control,” Henry Cejudo told ‘Home of Fight’. He then turned his attention to compare Bo Nickal with some of the top 185’ers and Israel Adesanya came to his mind. Given the recent run of form, Cejudo believes the Nigerian-born Kiwi legend may not stand much of a chance against the former NCAA Division I champ.

“If Bo Nickal was to get a guy like Israel Adesanya now, it wouldn’t be good for Israel, especially watching him get choked out. Like, Bo Nickal would do a number on him just stylistically, like, if they were to fight,” ‘Triple C’ added. Could Dana White end up making that fight? We can’t be too sure of that.

Henry Cejudo may have used a legend to compare Bo Nickal to a fighter, but this is not a novel thing. Everybody likes to compare – fans and pundits alike, so why not the 28-year-old himself? Well, Nickal once went on to claim that another legend, who personifies wrestling, wouldn’t even stand a chance against him.

Nickal once claimed that he could easily defeat this undefeated legend in wrestling

One of the first names that comes to mind when we talk about modern MMA wrestling legends is Khabib Nurmagomedov. With a squeaky clean 29-0, ‘The Eagle’ mauled his opponents his entire career, losing just two rounds in his illustrious career. Before Bo Nickal came to the UFC, he was fighting Jorge Masvidal‘s iKon Fighting Championship promotion. He had an interview at that time, where he boldly claimed that Nurmagomedov would last less than a minute against him in a wrestling match.

“To be 100 percent honest with you, if I were to ever wrestle Khabib, Khabib wouldn’t last more than 30 seconds against me in a wrestling match,” Bo Nickal told ‘GiveMeSport’. “Maybe 60 seconds, tops.” Now, it’s important to note that these two fighters are from totally different weight classes and Nickal has the weight advantage. However, there have been many times when ‘The Eagle’ has been seen weighing heavier, around 200 pounds, during training. Could it have been a close contest? Well, we may never know.

What do you make of Henry Cejudo comparing Bo Nickal to Israel Adesanya? Drop your comments below.