""Most people who say that have never competed at a high level in their life," Nickal said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "The response from every single one of my peers in wrestling - they were shocked that I was even considering taking it... Every single person I talked to, coaches, teammates, they were like, 'It's part of the sport, you don't make weight, you don't wrestle'... This is not all fun and games. This is not a charity match, this is a professional sporting event, so I came in professional, and unfortunately, he didn't.""
""This is not all fun and games. This is not a charity match, this is a professional sporting event, so I came in professional, and unfortunately, he didn't.""
Nickal was scheduled to wrestle Yoel Romero for the light heavyweight title at RAF 5. Romero missed the 205-pound limit by seven pounds and was stripped of the title, which was then awarded to Nickal. Nickal declined to compete after Romero missed weight and faced boos from fans for that refusal. Romero later accepted a short-notice fight and lost 10-0 to Stephan Buchanan. Nickal reported unanimous support from his coaches and teammates, asserted that most critics have never competed at an elite level, and emphasized that a professional competition requires professionalism, not charity.
Read at Sherdog
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