5 fights in 1 year. 5 first round finishes.
0 strikes absorbed. Nobody can do it like me. We headed to the top!
Much love to all my supporters, bigger things on the way!— Bo Nickal (@NoBickal)
September 28, 2022
When many expected that Ultimate Fighting Championship pickup Bo Nickal
would be thrown to the proverbial wolves in his debut, most did not
realize just how right they were.
Fresh off a contract-winning performance on the final episode of
the 2022 season of Dana White’s Contender Series, Nickal (3-0) has
his first UFC fight booked. The middleweight wrestling standout
will be toeing the line against “The Nightwolf” Jamie
Pickett (13-8) at
UFC 282 on Dec. 10. The organization’s broadcast partner of
ESPN
first announced this booking on Thursday.
Three-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler Nickal made
his professional debut in the sport against John Noland
in June. It took Nickal 33 seconds to demolish his opponent with
punches, and he earned a place on the Contender Series. Appearing
just over two months into his tenure in the sport, Nickal tapped
Zachary
Borrego in 62 seconds with a rear-naked choke to receive a
return invite on DWCS. The top prospect made good on that third
appearance, hitting a triangle choke on Donovan
Beard in 52 seconds – and now a total combined pro fight time
of 2:07 – to get signed by the UFC.
Pickett himself earned a contract on the 2020 season of DWCS by
crushing Jhonoven
Pati, but it was his third appearance with the promotion. “The
Nightwolf” famously appeared on the very first episode of the show
back in 2017, and he lost to Charles
Byrd. Returning two years later on Episode 1 of the 2019
season, he then fell short to Punahele
Soriano. Since making his way to the UFC in 2020, Pickett has
won just twice – both times by decision over Joseph
Holmes and Laureano
Staropoli – while dropping four bouts, including three by
stoppage. Pickett’s career finish rate sits at an even 69%, with
all but one of his wins inside the distance coming by knockout.
UFC 282 will go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10.
The headliner is not official, but it is reported to be a light
heavyweight championship rematch between Jiri
Prochazka and Glover
Teixeira. Other fights that will slot high on the billing
include a heavyweight tilt between Chris
Daukaus and Jairzinho
Rozenstruik, a 185-pound battle pitting Darren Till
against Dricus Du
Plessis, and a 170-pound rumble between Santiago
Ponzinibbio and Robbie
Lawler.