Nickal reacts to being on UFC 300 main card: 'I like that it makes people mad'

Middleweight prospect Bo Nickal has enjoyed watching MMA fans take umbrage with the card placement of his UFC 300 fight against Cody Brundage.

The UFC announced last weekend that Nickal-Brundage would be the second fight on the main card. That surprised many, as it'll be ahead of several matchups featuring former champions like Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic, and Aljamain Sterling vs. Calvin Kattar.

"I don't really care (about being on the main card), to be honest," Nickal said Friday on his "Nickals and Dimes" podcast. "I could fight wherever. I like that it makes people mad. I think that's so funny. 'You don't deserve it,' blah blah blah. I'm like, 'OK, thank you.'"

Nickal debuted in the UFC last year following a decorated wrestling career and is one of the most promising up-and-comers at 185 pounds in recent memory. He'll make his third Octagon appearance against Brundage, an unranked fighter, after submitting Jamie Pickett and knocking out Val Woodburn last March and July, respectively.

The 28-year-old said he believes the UFC put him on the main card to drive more pay-per-view sales.

"At the end of the day, the decision was made because I probably sell more," Nickal said. "... The most-watched spot is the prelims and the main prelim. So if they wanted more people to see me, they would put me in the main prelim. But the reality is, they want to sell more pay-per-views."

UFC 300 is scheduled for April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. A light heavyweight title bout between champion Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill will headline the event.