Two days after former Penn State wrestling standout Bo Nickal signed his contract with the UFC, his first fight was announced. Nickal will be facing Jamie Pickett on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas for UFC 282 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Well. That didn’t take long. Less than two days removed from Contender Series, Bo Nickal has his UFC debut. Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, per the UFC. pic.twitter.com/je4qRbMO85
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 29, 2022
Nickal will take on Pickett, who is eight years older but has 15 more fights under his resume in a 185-pound middleweight bout.
Pickett has a 13-8 MMA record but is only 2-4 in the UFC. He most recently lost to Dennis Tiuliulan by TKO (kicks and punches) at UFC 279 Sept. 10. The last bout he won was a unanimous decision over Joeseph Holmes Jan. 15 at UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze.
Nickal is coming off two straight first-round submission victories. First, he defeated Zachary Borrego with a rear-naked choke at Dana White’s Contender Series 49 Aug. 9.
On Tuesday, he defeated Donovan Beard with a triangle choke in 52 seconds.
Nickal is one of the most-hyped prospects to enter the UFC in a long time. His 120-3 record while competing at Penn State, including three national championships, a US Open National Championship and a U23 World Championship, back it up.
Twitter: @bwalkerdadon
