Bo Nickal explains why he’s ‘grateful’ for his first career loss ahead of UFC 322 return

Bo Nickal is looking to get back into the win column when he takes on Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322.

Nickal is coming off his first career loss as he lost by TKO to Reiner de Ridder earlier this year. Although Nickal never wanted to lose, he admits that losing did help him. Nickal explained why he was grateful for the loss and everything that he learned from it.

“I think that for me, it felt like a lot of changes because I really just changed a lot of stuff mentally and had a different level of focus, and intensity, and motivation with my training,” Nickal said at UFC 322 media day. “I think that the loss has been something that’s been really good for me and something that I’m grateful for. The hard part is just now it’s felt like a long time, and I’ve been waiting, just working and grinding – excited to get back in there this weekend.”

Nickal enters his UFC 322 fight as a sizable favorite, but he isn’t overlooking Vieira.

Bo Nickal calls Rodolfo Vieira a ‘world-class’ fighter

Nickal knows that Vieira poses a lot of problems with his grappling skills, so he can’t overlook him. But the former Penn State wrestler has full confidence he will be able to get his hand raised.

“Of course, you know Rodolfo is world-class, not only in one sport, but in two sports, which is impressive,” Nickal said. “So, it’s something you got to respect the guy going in. I think that for me, it’s really a lesson that I learned from my last fight is just to focus more on myself than my opponent.

“Just work on continuing to round out and perfect my skills and the fundamentals of fighting. I got respect for Rodolfo. He’s been able to accomplish a lot. But this camp and all the training leading up has been focused on me.”

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