Highly touted UFC prospect Bo Nickal is utilizing A.I. to formulate a game plan for his highly anticipated return to the Octagon.
After scoring decisive victories in his first two appearances with the promotion, the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion will face his toughest test yet when he meets South Carolina native Cody Brundage at UFC 300 on April 13.
Looking to get a leg up on the competition, Nickal revealed that he is using ChatGPT to help learn more about his opponent and come up with a plan of action for when the two men tussle inside the cage.
“I’ll go into ChatGPT, and you have to ask it the right questions,” Nickal told Joe Rogan during a recent episode of the UFC commentator’s popular podcast. “But I’ll say, ‘Hey, formulate a game plan for this type of fighter. I’m a wrestler at middleweight, this that, blah, blah, blah, and I’m going to fight this guy — give me the perfect gameplan for him.’ It’s not like ‘boom,’ easy, you kind of have to prod it a little bit, but it’ll get closer” (h/t MMA Mania).
The impact of ChatGPT on sports betting and fantasy sports is significant as it can help to predict the outcome of the game, generate insights and recommendations on player selection, analyze sports data and identify patterns and trends, and generate real-time analysis and commentary during live events.
It’s only a matter of time before the tool becomes reliable enough for athletes and teams to compile data on their opponents to estimate their best possible path to victory. Like something out of the hit film Moneyball, but with all of the human elements essentially eliminated from the equation.
“I would say, ‘Formulate a gameplan for a wrestler against a striker in an MMA fight under these rules,’ and then I would ask it more detailed questions from there,” Nickal continued. “It’s given me good information, so we’ll see where it can go. In five years, it’ll probably be able to download video of somebody and tell you every one of their weaknesses.”
Bo Nickal was recently announced at the UFC’s 2023 Rookie of the Year following back-to-back finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series followed by two impressive wins over Jamie Pickett and Val Woodburn. He’ll look to carry that momentum into 2024 as part of the promotion’s next big milestone event this spring.
Nickal was also named the LowKick MMA Prospect of the Year for 2023.