Yianni Diakomihalis thinks the sky is the limit for Bo Nickal, but wants to see him pushed.
A fellow multiple-time NCAA Division-I wrestling champion, Diakomihalis has a vested interest in MMA, and has been following Nickal’s (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) rising career.
In just four MMA fights, Nickal has emerged as one of the most highly touted prospects in the sport. He made good on his UFC debut with another first-round finish over Jamie Pickett at UFC 285, but Diakomihalis says Nickal is yet to be properly tested.
“I worked with the guys at Treigning Lab a little bit, so I do kind of hear what they say about Bo, and they’re really excited about what he’s doing, his skills, his striking and everything,” Diakomihalis recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “He looks great. He hasn’t really been tested by anybody. When you see a guy like that and he’s just coming in and putting people on top of their head really quickly, you can’t help but wonder how far they can go, right? I think he’s got a ton of potential there – especially so early in his career relative to these other guys.”
A four-time NCAA Division-I champion, Diakomihalis is considering potentially crossing over to MMA himself. But first, the 23-year-old wants to see how far he can go in wrestling, and has the 2024 Olympics in sight.
“Right now, my heart is all in for the wrestling,” Diakomihalis said. “I really want to make a run at this 2024 Olympic year, then hopefully down the line continue to compete, and then maybe segue into coaching – or who knows after that.
“There’s a ceiling we all have where I’m not going to get any better than I am right now, and I want to see what that is. If that takes me two years or eight years, whatever. But that’s I think when I’m ready.”
Yianni Diakomihalis: Bo Nickal has a ton of potential, but ‘hasn’t really been tested by anybody’
