Bo
Nickal believes people often undermine the body of work he put
in before his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.
Nickal is scheduled to fight Kyle
Daukaus (17-4) in a middleweight clash on the
UFC White House card on June 14. Like many of Nickal’s previous
bookings on high-profile cards, some fans believe he didn’t deserve
a spot on the iconic seven-fight White House show.
Nickal (8-1) tries not to take criticism lobbed towards him
personally, noting that while he transitioned into MMA in 2021, he
has been toiling hard on the wrestling mats for most of his life.
Nickal does not entirely understand the hatred cast his way, as he
doesn’t call the shots regarding his matchmaking. The wrestler
claims he has accepted every matchup that the UFC has offered him
so far. Nickal said in an interview with the UFC:
“I mean, it’s natural for people to just be jealous in general. I
think a lot of people think that I haven’t earned this spot. What
they don’t realize is that I have been working at my craft and
dedicated to it since five years old. And they kind of discount all
of that work and effort that I put into wrestling and other combat
sports, that I was able to build a big following and have a lot of
success… It’s a little odd to me because I’m not the one that makes
the decisions on where I’m at in the card or what cards I’m
fighting at. Of course, I can say, like, ‘Hey, I would like to
fight on this card, I would like to fight on that card.’ But since
I’ve gotten to the UFC, all I have done is, they tell me when I’m
fighting and who I’m fighting, and I say, ‘Let’s go.’”
Nickal is a former three-time NCAA Division-I champion wrestler
from Penn State. The uber-prospect had to prove himself twice on
Dana White’s Contender Series with first-round
finishes to earn a UFC contract in 2022. Nickal finished three of
his first four UFC wins before his hype train was derailed by
former One Championship double champ Reinier
de Ridder last year. Nickal has since rebounded with a brutal
head kick knockout of Rodolfo
Vieira.