Mega prospect Bo Nickal
will make his second appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series
against Donovan
Beard on Sept. 27.
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The bout was announced during the UFC on ESPN 41 broadcast on
Saturday night. Nickal vs. Beard will take place on the season
finale of the Contender Series at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
A three-time NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State
University, Nickal impressed with a 62-second submission of Fury FC
veteran Zachary
Borrego on Aug. 9. While most observers believed that was
enough to earn the middleweight a contract, UFC president Dana
White elected to have Nickal get more experience on the Contender
Series.
“I don’t know what else he could have done to look any better. He
looked incredible. The only reason I didn’t sign him tonight is
because he’s 2-0 now,” White said after the fight. “We got eight
more weeks of this. Why not have him fight here again, you know
what I mean? It just makes sense.”
Beard, 32, has compiled a 7-1 mark over the course of a
professional career that began in 2020. He captured Cage Fury
Fighting Championships gold with a fourth-round submission of
Miles
Lee in his most recent outing at CFFC 111 on July 29.