Bo Nickal expected to smash in UFC debut, opens as colossal betting favorite

Bo Nickal is one of the best and brightest mixed martial arts (MMA) prospects in recent memory.

Officially signed to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after another stellar Contender Series win on Tuesday (Sept. 27, 2022), Nickal landed his debut date just two days later. At UFC 282 on Dec. 12, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nickal (3-0) will be welcomed to the Octagon by Jamie Pickett (13-8).

The betting odds were announced shortly after the fight came together, placing Nickal as a monstrous -1800 favorite to Pickett’s +1100, via BestFightOdds.

Being a favorite to this degree is nothing new in Nickal’s very short MMA career up to this point. In his two Contender Series bouts, Nickal was up around the same numbers as a favorite and proved those odds right by finishing his opponents both roughly around a minute into the action.

In Nickal’s MMA debut in June 2022, he needed only 33 seconds to score a knockout (watch highlights) to get his momentum rolling. The Penn State wrestling standout will surely provide a very tough challenge for Pickett regardless of the odds and each’s experience levels in the sport.

Pickett, like Nickal, is also an alum of Contender Series, having earned his contract in April 2020. He’s gone 2-4 in his six fights since and will look to snap a two-fight skid against Nickal that’s seen him finished in both losses.

With UFC 282 continuing to take shape, the main event has yet to be officially confirmed, but the expectation is for Light Heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka, and Glover Teixeira, to run back their epic June 2020 encounter (watch highlights).