Bo Nickal | Dana White’s Contender Series Grad Showcase

After winning three NCAA Division 1 National wrestling championships, Bo Nickal decided to take his talents to mixed martial arts. Finishing his NCAA wrestling career with a 120-3 record, you’d expect a grappling heavy approach from the Hodge Trophy winner in his professional MMA debut.

Well, that couldn’t be further from what happened; Nickal knocked his opponent out on the feet just 33 seconds into the first round. At just 1-0 as a pro, Nickal earned a spot on Season 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.

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Nickal squared off against Zachary Borrego, who, at the time, was just 3-0 in his young career. The collegiate wrestling standout wasted no time to use his grappling, taking down Borrego less than five seconds into the fight. From there, Nickal just went to work, eventually taking Borrego’s back and sinking in a rear-naked choke to force the tap just over a minute into the first round.

While it was as impressive of a performance as one can have on the Contender Series, Dana White still wanted to see more from Nickal, who was now just 2-0, before signing him to the UFC. Nickal was granted a second fight on DWCS Season 6 just seven weeks later against Donovan Beard, and he showed quickly why he was a -3500 favorite.

Just 30 seconds in, Nickal landed a hard left hook and immediately followed up with a takedown. Initially looking for a mounted guillotine, Nickal transitioned to a triangle choke, which forced Beard to tap 52 seconds into the fight. With back-to-back highlight reel performances, there was no way he was leaving the APEX without a UFC contract.

“My only note on my paper is, ‘God damn,’” White said after Nickal’s win over Beard. “I mean, for a kid who has almost no experience… the confidence that this kid has to roll into that triangle the way that he did and go for the things that he does, me and a lot of other people are excited to see the future that this kid has. Welcome to the UFC.”

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Nickal has carried on with that success every time he’s stepped in the Octagon since. He made his first UFC appearance at UFC 285: Jones vs Gane and dispatched of Jamie Pickett in less than three minutes to earn his first Performance of the Night bonus. Nickal followed that up with a first-round TKO over Val Woodburn and a second-round submission over Cody Brundage at UFC 300 to extend his undefeated record to 6-0.

Nickal returned to the Octagon for UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 16. Nickal faced Scotland’s Paul Craig, who holds a TKO victory over former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and a submission win over current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev.

While it wasn’t the one-sided domination we’ve come to expect from Nickal, it was 15 valuable minutes of experience against a seasoned opponent who's seen it all inside the Octagon. It also gave Nickal the chance to showcase his striking — he shot zero takedowns and led the dance on the feet from start to finish.

Up next: Nickal faces the first Top 15 opponent of his UFC career in No. 13 ranked Reinier de Ridder, who’s made an immediate impact since joining the promotion last year. In November, de Ridder submitted submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert via arm triangle choke in his UFC debut. Just two months later, he tapped fan-favorite Kevin Holland in the first round. This will be an intriguing test for Nickal, who may look to keep things standing once again given de Ridder’s elite grappling. A win here would earn Nickal a spot in the rankings and officially kick off his climb up the middleweight ladder.