Bo Nickal doesn’t feel added pressure to silence the haters who want to see him lose.
Since announcing his transition to MMA, Nickal has solidified himself as one of the most highly-touted prospects of all time. The three-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler has been successful thus far, but there’s recently been a new factor added to his MMA journey.
Some fans have turned on Nickal and believe that he’s overrated. During the UFC 290 press conference, the former Penn State University wrestler was asked about the people who want to see him lose. He responded by saying:
“I don’t really feel any extra pressure. I put a lot of pressure on myself to go out and perform. Of course there is people that wanna see me fail because I’m so new and got a lot of hype, but I think there are even more people that wanna see me succeed and achieve my goals.”
Nickal continued:
“For me, it’s just about competing to the best of my ability, and I have a great team, great coaches. I’m very grateful for everybody, grateful for the fans. We’re gonna have an awesome fight on Saturday.”
Nickal made his UFC debut on March 4 after winning three professional MMA fights, including two on Dana White’s Contender Series. The 27-year-old quickly validated his hype with a first-round submission win against Jaime Pickett.
He was scheduled to fight TUF 29 alum Tresean Gore on July 8 at UFC 290. Unfortunately, Gore pulled out with an injury, leading to a massive opportunity for promotional newcomer Val Woodburn.
Val Woodburn plans to make a name for himself against Bo Nickal at UFC 290
With less than a week before UFC 290, Val Woodburn stepped up and accepted the short-notice fight against Bo Nickal. Woodburn will have to pull off one of the biggest upsets in MMA history if he wants to win his UFC debut, as the betting odds have him listed as a +1200 underdog.
During the UFC 290 press conference, Woodburn discussed his upcoming fight against the collegiate wrestling superstar by saying:
“This is not my first rodeo. I’m gonna go in there and fight this guy. His wrestling doesn’t scare me. I feel like I’m an all-around better fighter. You guys don’t know me yet, but you will on Saturday.”
Woodburn made his professional MMA debut in February 2020 after establishing an amateur record of 4-2-1. After securing five consecutive KO/TKOs, ‘The Animal’ won his last two fights by unanimous decision. The 29-year–old was scheduled to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series later this year before getting the special phone call for his UFC debut.
