Bo Nickal is gearing up for his UFC debut this weekend against Jamie Pickett. He will look to announce his era of dominance in the UFC Middleweight division with a stellar performance in his debut at UFC 285.
Bo Nickal was a college wrestling phenom who amassed a legendary record of 120 wins and only 3 losses. In 2019, he won the Dan Hodge trophy, given to the most outstanding college wrestler in the nation.
Nickal was an NCAA Division I National Championship Runner-Up in his first year in college. This was the only time he was in second place; the next three years, he won the Division I Wrestling Championship.
Nickal represented his country at 2019 Under 23 Wrestling Championship, winning the Gold Medal after dominating his opponent 12-2 in the finals. Winning the gold medal at the Under 23 World Championship was also Nickal’s most significant international achievement.
In 2019, at the end of his college wrestling career, Nickal focused solely on Freestyle wrestling in the hopes of performing at the Olympics. College Wrestling deploys Folkstyle Wrestling, which is very different from Freestyle Wrestling. Olympics and World Championships deploy Freestyle Wrestling. Hence, Nickal started to transition toward Freestyle Wrestling.
Bo Nickal had a record of 28 wins and 10 losses as a Freestyle Wrestler before ultimately shifting his focus to being an MMA fighter. He will now look to dominate the UFC like he dominated College Wrestling.
Did Bo Nickal compete in the Olympics?
As 2019 Under 23 Wrestling World Champion, Bo Nickal qualified for the US 2020 Olympic Trials. At the time, there was speculation surrounding the weight class Nickal would choose to compete in. Previously, he competed in 86 kilograms and 97 kilograms. Nickal would later announce his decision to compete in the 86-kilogram division.
Nickal reached the finals of the Olympic Trials but could not defeat David Taylor in a best-of-three bout where he lost twice in a row. Only the winner can advance to the Olympic team, and Nickal missed the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. David Taylor went on to claim the Olympic Gold in the Tokyo Olympics. If it is any constellation, he only lost to the best wrestler in the weight class.
Nickal may never compete in the Olympics again as he looks focused on his MMA career. The door is not entirely shut, as anything is possible. However, right now, he is a tremendous MMA prospect to look out for.
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