Former Penn State wrestling champion Bo Nickal recently announced he would be making his professional MMA debut. The three-time national champion will have his promotional debut in June of this year.
UFC recently cut a number of athletes from the roster in preparation for new athletes. Promotion is hoping that a new tournament in Singapore will be a good feeder for the organization in addition to TUF and Dana White’s Contender series.
Nickal decided to transition into mixed martial arts after winning his final NCAA title in 2019.
The official announcement was posted by UFC Twitter account. They confirmed the debut to be on Friday, June 3, and will compete in the middleweight division.
There are currently no events scheduled for June 3rd – a Friday. UFCFP will be streaming LFA 133: Stack vs. Delano and UFC on ESPN: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik on June 4th. It’s a distinct possibility that Nickal might make his debut in the new promotion – Urijah Faber’s A1.
Bo Nickal was a freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who won the 2019 U23 World Championship and the US Open National championship. He was also a three-time NCAA Division I National Champion.
Bo Nickal trained under The American Top Team gym that produced many renowned MMA fighters, such as Colby Covington, Jorge Masvidal, Tyron Woodley, Dustin Poirier, and Amanda Nunes.
This will be Nickal’s first professional MMA bout. However, the 26-year-old has a bit of experience clashing inside a cage. Bo Nickal competed in two amateur MMA bouts last year in Square Rings Promotions. He faced David Conley and Billy Goode and ended both fights with finishes all in the first round.
Footage of Nickal’s MMA debut:
Manslaughter by Bo “ko” Nickal @NoBickal #supernecessary pic.twitter.com/wtrOdPU5fY
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) November 6, 2021
Considering his wrestling background, Bo Nickal shows real promise in MMA. Earlier last year Dana White lost his chance to entice Olympic Champion Gable Stevenson – who instead signed with the WWE.
Considering the UFC pays $12k to show plus $12k to win even to established athletes, who can blame him. Here’s to hoping Nickal makes a better deal with the promotion.