Bo Nickal will not make his highly anticipated debut at UFC 282 as originally expected.
After back-to-back appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series, the highly touted prospect was set to make his official Octagon debut in Las Vegas on December 12th for the promotion’s final pay-per-view event of the year. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after Nickal withdrew from the bout due to an injury per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
The three-time Division I national champion for Penn State is now expected to make his promotional debut on March 4th, an event rumored to be UFC 285 in London. While there has been no official word, Jamie Pickett is expected to remain as Nickal’s opponent for the early 2023 date.
🚨 BO NICKAL IS OFF #UFC282 🚨
per @mma_kings , Bo Nickal pulled out of the fight due to a minor injury and is now slated to be on #UFC285 which is expected to be Edwards v. Usman 3 in London 👀 pic.twitter.com/Qe8xNMonmt
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) October 21, 2022
Bo Nickal Could Be the Next Big Thing in MMA
Only three fights into his mixed martial arts career and Bo Nickal is already being touted as the next big thing. Making his debut under Jorge Masvidal’s iKON FC banner, Nickal earned a 33-second knockout over John Noland. The performance was enough to get the attention of the UFC President who hosted the three-time Big Ten champion just two months later on his Tuesday night contender series. Nickal improved to 2-0 by submitting his DWCS opponent Zack Borrego in just 62-seconds.
Despite the impressive showing, Dana White wanted one more look at the wrestling prodigy turned MMA prospect. Bo Nickal returned to the program just six weeks later, this time against Cage Fury Fighting Champion Donovan Beard. Nickal dispatched Beard in an incredible 52-seconds, earning a UFC contract in the process.
Fighting out of American Top Team in Florida, Nickal is a blue belt in jiu-jitsu and holds an impressive collegiate wrestling record. He was a collegiate national champion in 2019 and finished his college wrestling career with a record of 120-3, earning 61-straight wins in his final two years. He is yet to absorb a single strike in his MMA career.
