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Watch: Friendly fight between Jon Jones and Bo Nickal ahead of UFC 285
In a viral video, Jones and Nickal shared a light moment together and were seen practising their grappling moves on each other in a friendly fight.
Jon Jones is set to return to the octagon after a three-year long hiatus on Saturday, March 4. In a high-octane contest, Jones will be up against Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 285 to crown the new champion in the heavyweight class. The historic match will also mark Jones' first apperance in the heavyweight division and fans are looking forward to witness the champion in full flow once again.
Another American fighter Bo Nickal will face off against Jamie Pickett in the middleweight division. It will be a debut appearance for Nickal who idolized Jones as a UFC fan.
Ahead of their respective bouts, both fighters got together during UFC 285 media day. In a viral video, Jones and Nickal shared a light moment together and were seen practising their grappling moves on each other in a friendly fight.
Watch the video here:
“Super motivating for me. I remember probably being in the fifth, sixth grade, watching UFC events and seeing Jon Jones dismantle people," reminisced Nickal on the occasion.
“So to be on the same card as him is a big honor. I’m very grateful for that opportunity. I think it’s pretty cool,” he added.
Nickal also talked about the brief friendly fight that he engaged with Jones during their final training sessions ahead of Saturday's event.
“I was able to meet him yesterday at the [UFC Performance Institute]. He tried to take me down, but I obviously stuffed that and ran around and got behind him and stuff. Again, very grateful to be on the card, and he’s definitely a guy that, his fighting style, I’d like to emulate,” said Nickal.
“He had a pretty strong grip, but overall, it was just straight wrestling, so I had a big advantage,” he concluded.
