Overview
- Head coach Mike Brown said Nickal was moved into bigger UFC fights too soon, citing the lure of higher pay and the need for experience.
- Nickal echoed the assessment on X, thanking his team and saying he will keep improving.
- The prospect’s first loss came by body-shot TKO to Reinier de Ridder in May, followed by a UFC 322 rebound with a third-round head-kick KO of Rodolfo Vieira and a $50,000 bonus.
- At the RAF 5 press event, Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold berated Nickal, referencing his de Ridder defeat and calling him a "bozo" and a "college bum."
- Nickal is expected to face Yoel Romero at RAF 5 in Sunrise, Florida, and later posted on X proposing a fight with Covington "at the White House."