With a professional record of 1-0, Nickal joined Brock Lesnar on a very exclusive list of fighters in the Zuffa era to fight for Dana White in only their second professional fight. The argument could be made that he’s set a new precedent in the jump to the UFC, but smart money says you still need adequate preparation and a record to reflect it.
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Stuck in the limbo of “too good for regional fights” but “not experienced enough for Dana” is Nickal’s teammate and best friend Cassar.
Equipped with a 1-0 record of his own, a NCAA National title and a laundry list of people refusing to fight him, Cassar has accepted the fact that it may take three years to get the five fights needed to put himself on the UFC radar.
There’s a big difference between being “accepting” something and “agreeing” with something. Nickal may have accepted his teammate’s uphill climb but refuses to agree that he needs more experience.
“I think he’s ready to go now,” Nickal said. “I think he’s ready to compete at that level right now.”
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Nickal isn’t debating that he was fast-tracked. He’s well aware of the work that thousands of fighters have put in to earn their shot and was actually just as surprised as most when he got the call from White. Nothing is handed to a wrestler easy. Nobody in the Penn State room is expecting National Championships to land them in the UFC, but the predicament Cassar has found himself in has played yet another role in keeping him from reaching his potential.
“I think we got to be a little bit more reserved in that because you don’t want to scare the guy away right,” Nickal explained. “We’ve got to make sure he shows up.”
Being unable to sell a fight can hold back a career almost as much as losing fights can, and both Nickal and Cassar find themselves in an interesting position where they almost fear building a fight.
Fighters will often give a cliché like, “take things day by day” or “one fight at a time” but the Penn State fan-favorites have no choice but to do what wrestlers do best. Embrace the grind and make the most out of the process.
“I don’t like to predict and try to plan these things in MMA because everybody that’s involved in MMA knows things can change on a dime,” Nickal said. “Things can change very quickly. For me, my mindset with regards to where he’s at preparedness-wise, he’s ready to compete at the highest level of the sport, but we’re just getting experience and taking things one step at a time.
Before he can celebrate a UFC contract, he needs to celebrate opponents accepting fights, for as long as it may take.
Catch the return of Anthony Cassar at Fury Challenger Series 8 FOR FREE on UFC FIGHT PASS Facebook and YouTube channels Sunday, October 22!
