9/28/2022 other sports Edit

Bo Nickal earns UFC contract after dominating performance in DWCS

Joey Klender • Happy Valley Insider

Wrestling Analyst

Four-time NCAA Finalist and three-time NCAA Champion Bo Nickal was awarded a UFC contract by company President Dana White last evening after his second dominating performance on the Dana White Contender Series.

It was Nickal's second appearance on the show, which airs every Tuesday night on ESPN+. Nickal first faced Zachary Borrego in early August, winning the fight in 62 seconds via a Rear-Naked Choke.

Nickal's second opponent was Donovan Beard, who came into the fight against Bo with a 7-1 record, with 5 wins coming via finish.

Bo looked sharp on his feet, throwing several feints to open up Beard. He then threw an overhand left, knocking Beard down and taking the mount position immediately. Nickal then showed how his Jiu-Jitsu is coming along with a beautiful transition to a Triangle Choke, which forced Beard to tap. The fight lasted just 52 seconds, giving Nickal's total Octagon time through two fights at just 1:54.

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Nickal then called out basically every fighter at every weight, but specifically Khamzat Chimaev, a 185-lb fighter in the UFC's Middleweight Division who was accumulated as much hype as any fighter in recent memory. Chimaev's specialty is also wrestling, but he has won a fight by Knockout, which makes him a particularly interesting matchup for Bo if the two happen to cross paths in the next year or two.

Nickal will likely have his first UFC fight before the end of the year. The former Nittany Lion transitioned to MMA after a short stint on the International scene. He was eliminated from the Olympic Team Trials by fellow Lion and NCAA Champion David Taylor, who went on to win a Gold Medal for the United States in Tokyo.