The UFC’s newest star, Bo Nickal, already has his debut lined up.
It was been exactly one day since collegiate wrestling star turned MMA fighter Bo Nickal signed his UFC contract. Coming off his second Contender Series appearance, Nickal defeated his opponent, the experienced CFFC champion Donovan Beard by first-round submission. Despite only being 3-0 in MMA, Nickal’s wrestling resume preseeds him and the fans and the UFC are already high on the 26-year-old.
Never in doubt – welcome to the UFC @NoBickal 👏 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/BtJy8WwTgE
— UFC (@ufc) September 28, 2022
It took two tries on the Contender Series for UFC President Dana White to be sure that Nickal is UFC material, but it appears the second shot was merely a formality. Nickal was signed to a contract, given his debut matchup right away, and has been added to the UFC 4 video game all within 48 hours. There are current UFC fighters who have been on the roster for years but not in the game lineup yet, including middleweight title contender Alex Pereira.
Welcome to #UFC4 💪💪
Congrats to @NoBickal & Raul Rosas Jr. from the #DWCS 🎮@ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/HdAWNFAaF0
— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) September 29, 2022
Bo Nickal has his first UFC fight set for UFC 282 in December
Nickal has drawn Jamie Pickett as his first official UFC opponent. The two will face off on December 10 at UFC 282, the last pay-per-view of the year. The fight was confirmed by MMA Fighting. Pickett is 34 years old and with a record of 13-8. He is a product of Dana White’s Contender Series as well. With six fights in the UFC so far, he has lost his last two.
Nickal has some lofty goals ahead of him which include wanting to face Khamzat Chimaev, and setting out to be the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world in two years. To get to all of these goals, Nickal must win on December 10 and keep on winning. Winning is something he had no problem with in his wrestling days and hopes to continue his streak in MMA.
