(Video) Bo Nickal flattens opponent just 30 seconds into pro MMA debut

Bo Nickal, a three-time NCAA Division I champion wrestler, has a lot of buzz behind him. His professional debut on Friday just added to his popularity.

Nickal’s wrestling achievements at Penn State drew a lot of attention when he chose to become professional after excelling in two amateur contests. Nickal is also a three-time Big Ten Conference champion.

In the 92kg weight class, Nickal won both a national title and a U-23 global championship in 2019. He had a wrestling record consisting of 120 wins  and  3 losses in college, with a combined 61-0 record in his junior and senior years.

Nickal has now set his eyes on professional MMA. Nickal went into the cage for the first time as a professional at Jorge Masvidal’s iKON FC 3. He faced fellow debuting fighter John Noland in a middleweight contest.

From the start, the bout was one-way traffic as Nickal threw strong punches and attempted to hit a left-high kick early on. In this fight, he didn’t even need to utilize his wrestling talents to win. He sent a flurry of punches that dropped Noland to the ground barely 30 seconds into the first round.

Every single middleweight on the planet, I don’t care what organization you’re in, UFC, Bellator, PFL – doesn’t matter, I’m coming for all y’all,” Nickal stated during his post-fight interview.

Nickal also said, “I’m trying to hold it down for all my wrestlers out there. I love y’all, and wrestling’s taking over for sure.”

Nickal is just 26 years old. He trained at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Nickal recently told MMA Junkie why he believes now is the right moment to pursue a career as a professional fighter. It’s easy to understand why he made that choice after such a strong first performance.