UFC 285: Bo Nickal can underline his huge potential by making quick work of Jamie Pickett

With an amateur wrestling pedigree to rival anyone in the world, only failing to qualify for the Olympics due to facing the eventual gold medalist in qualifying, Nickal's credentials speak for themselves.

Jamie Pickett has no such credentials, with a 2-4 record in the UFC and finish losses in his last two bouts, Pickett looks to be the sacrificial lamb to jump start Nickal's career.

The gameplan for Nickal in this bout is clear - use strikes to close the distance and use his Olympic caliber wrestling to get Pickett to the ground and finish him there.

For Pickett the path to victory is less clear. Any attempts to use grappling would be naïve and misplaced and using his strength in the clinch could also lead to a potential takedown.

A 5" reach advantage is in favour of Pickett and he does have the punching power to do damage as he showed in his unanimous decision victory over Joseph Holmes.

However, his tendency to over extend and lean forward after throwing could be his undoing as it makes counter wrestling for Nickal much easier.

My prediction for this fight is it will be an early win for Bo Nickal. The bright lights of the T-Mobile arena won't be an issue for him and all of the holes in Pickett's game are tailor made for him to exploit.

Bo Nickal has had an average fight time of 49 seconds in his MMA career.

Jamie Pickett has alternated two losses and two wins across his current UFC career, with his last fight being a loss against Denis Tiuliulin.

Bo Nickal to win in the first round