Henry Cejudo says Bo Nickal is not ready for the top 10 at middleweight: “He’s still maybe 10 fights away from possibly becoming UFC champion”

Henry Cejudo has given his thoughts on Bo Nickal’s future and how long it will take for him to climb the ranks at middleweight.

Up to this point, it’s been a case of so far, so good for Bo Nickal in the UFC. Last weekend, he featured in the opening main card fight at UFC 300. He defeated Cody Brundage, doing so in pretty comprehensive fashion.

However, despite the win, many weren’t impressed – including Nickal himself. He criticized his own performance, noting that he believes he can do a lot better than that.

RELATED: Bo Nickal dismisses Khamzat Chimaev’s criticism of UFC 300 performance: “Who were you fighting at 5-0?”

In the eyes of Henry Cejudo, the wrestling sensation Bo still has a long way to go at middleweight.

Cejudo’s Nickal warning

“Don’t put that pressure on you, if you’re disappointed in your performance, because quite honestly, I do believe you could be a future champ at 185 pounds – but you are not ready for the top 10,” Cejudo said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Kamaru Usman. “If they put you up against big bodies like Marvin Vettori, who have good jiu-jitsu, big dudes and could also wrestle – even a guy like Paulo ‘Borrachinha’ (Costa) … I mean, he’s not quite ready for that top 10.

“I think at 185 pounds, he needs to go three rounds. He needs to understand that threshold because still him winning and beating these guys super early, if you want to be champion, how is it going to feel when you actually go five rounds against guys like Sean Strickland, Paulo ‘Borrachinha,’ Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier? That weight class is absolutely stacked. I think he needs to hold his horses. I think he’s still maybe 10 fights away from possibly becoming UFC champion.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

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