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Bo Nickal has all the making of a future star in the UFC.
Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion for Penn State and four-time finalist. As a senior, he won the Hodge Trophy, which is the wrestling equivalent of the Heisman.
He was seen as such a can’t-miss prospect that American Top Team partnered with him to open up a new gym near Penn State’s campus.
Nickal has more than repaid their confidence in him to this point.
He’s 6-0 in his MMA career, including a 4-0 record as a pro. He exceed all expectations in his UFC debut in March, submitting opponent Jamie Pickett in under three minutes.
Rising Star Bo Nickal Calls Out Haters At UFC 290 Press Conference
But that wasn’t good enough for some UFC fans. Nickal spoke about those fans on Thursday at the UFC 290 press conference.
“It was pretty crazy after my last fight because people were saying, ‘Oh, he had trouble taking Jamie Pickett down, he stuffed his takedown.’ I was like, ‘I took him down in 20 seconds,’” Nickal said laughing. “Like, what are we talking about here? Let’s be real.
“But I think there’s just going to be that expectation that’s set. I’m 4-0 with four first-round finishes. People want to see me fail, a lot of people want to see me win, and there’s a lot of expectations for me. I’m going out there to perform to the best of my ability, whether that’s a first-round finish or that’s a decision, it’s not really of concern, the result. I’m just going out there to do my best and everything else will take care of itself.”
Nickal is set to take on UFC debutant Val Woodburn in the first fight of the main card on Saturday. Woodburn stepped in on just one week’s notice after Tresean Gore had to pull out due to injury.