Bo Nickal is one of the most talked about rising prospects in the UFC right now. He is a former NCAA Division 1 Wrestler and has amassed a phenomenal wrestling record on his resume before stepping into the world of MMA.
After two impressive wins in season six of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), Bo has landed a spot on the UFC roster. Here’s everything you need to know about the rising star.
Who is Bo Nickal?
Bo Nickal is an American MMA Fighter and Freestyle wrestler. He holds a freestyle wrestling record of 28 wins and 10 losses and an NCAA record of 120-3 to his name. This young prospect has a tremendous domain in wrestling, which can be proven by his phenomenal wrestling record.
Nickal is an Under 23 World Championship Gold Medallist in the year 2019 and the same year, he won the US National Championship gold medal at 92 KGS. He holds three gold medals in the infamous NCAA Division 1 National Championship as well.
Bo Nickal’s NCAA Wrestling Pedigree
In the NCAA Division 1 National Championships, he won multiple Gold medals. He started at 174 lbs and won Silver in his first match in 2016, held in New York. Then he moved up to 184 lbs and won two Gold medals in 2017 and 2018. For his last outing in NCAA D-1 National Championship, he moved up to 197 lbs, to win Gold in 2019.
In the Big Ten Championship, Bo started at 174 lbs and won Gold in 2016. He then moved up to 184 lbs and won Bronze in 2017. For his last two outings in this championship, he took home Gold twice in 2018 (184 lbs) and 2019 (197 lbs).
Bo also got Gold at the 92 KG US National Championship, Las Vegas held in 2019. In his last freestyle wrestling outing, he won Gold in the 92 KG category of the U-23 World Championship, 2019 Budapest.
Apart from this, he has competed in submission grappling matches and fought to two draws and one loss. He was also one of the finalists in the 2020 US Olympic wrestling team trials.
Bo Nickal’s MMA Record
To hone his MMA skills, on top of his elite wrestling, Bo Nickal joined one of the most recognizable MMA teams, the American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. There Bo trains with UFC star Jorge Masvidal and other reputed coaches. According to Nickal, ATT has played a huge part in his professional MMA journey.
After the Olympics, Bo Nickal made his professional MMA debut with Jorge Masvidal‘s iKon FC 3. However, he won his pro debut against John Noland via a first-round KO. It is then that the American was picked up by Dana White for the 6th season of DWCS.
He made quite a statement after a 1st -round submission win over Zachary Borrego. After this dominant win, he gained a lot of hype and attention however, as per Dana; Bo needed to prove himself before coming to the UFC.
In his second fight on DCWS, Nickal continued his impressive win streak against Donovan Beard. In this fight, he also got an impressive submission win under just 52 seconds. This fight proved his worth being in the UFC and White finally got Nickal a much-deserved UFC contract. Bo currently has a record of 3-0 in professional MMA.
Here is how Bo earned his UFC contract: