Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal won his first pro MMA fight in 33 seconds.
Pro fight No. 2 didn’t last much longer.
Facing Zachary Borrego on UFC Boss Dana White’s Contender Series, Nickal won with a first-round submission to improve his overall pro MMA record to 2-0 and drop Borrego to 4-1.
The bout was originally slated to be a middleweight fight but became a catchweight clash when Borrego failed to make weight at Monday’s weigh-in.
So not only did Borrego suffer his first pro loss, but he’ll be fined part of his purse for not meeting the weight requirements.
Nickal fought in front of White, and the thought is that if he won tonight, he would have an excellent shot at a UFC contract.
He won, and now is one step closer to signing with White’s empire.
Although anything can happen, it’s hard to picture Nickal— with his impressive pro start and name recognition from his time in NCAA wrestling, where he won three national championships and earned All-America honors in all four of his years at Penn State— won’t at least sign with the UFC.
Nickal— whose wife, Maddie, was a three-time All American on Penn State women’s Track & Field team— wants to be a UFC champion, and Tuesday night brought him one step closer to what he hopes will be a long and fruitful journey.
“I want to be the best pound-for-pound UFC guy in the planet,” Nickal told MMA Junkie back in March. “At this point, that’s what I train for, that’s what I keep my mind on every day in these sessions.”
