Penn State wrestling great Bo Nickal is still undefeated in his progressional MMA career but the Madison Square Garden crowd wasn’t impressed.
Nickal came into MSG as a heavy favorite against Paul Craig and got the win, doing so via decision for the first time.
The crowd wasn’t happy, booing Nickal and chanting “overrated” toward the end of the fight.
Bo Nickal gets booed in his post-fight interview:
"They expect me to knock everybody out in 25 seconds or choke them out in a minute."#UFC309 #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/mFWLcN9HMr
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 17, 2024
Nonetheless, the Penn State wrestling legend is now 4-0 in his UFC career and 7-0 in his professional MMA career which began in June 2022.
He’s been the favorite in all of his fights but has stayed focused and taken care of business in all of them. The question now is when Nickal will take on a championship-caliber opponent? At this rate, that day might not be too far away.
BO KNOWS WRESTLING
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Bo Nickal
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Nickal is one of the best in the history of arguably the most dominant dynasty in college sports— Penn State wrestling. He won three national titles, was a four-time All-American and the winner of the Hodge Trophy, which is wrestling’s Heisman. He plans to make his UFC career even more dominant, and although he’s still relatively new to the sport, when he fights, it feels like a big deal.
2024 has been a big year for Bo Nickal, and not just professionally. His wife, Maddie— herself a multi-time All-American at Penn State in track & field— had their first child. She had been pregnant since July 2023, news that Nickal announced in an interview with Joe Rogan after his second fight.
SOMETHING PENN STATE HAS NEVER HAD
Photo by Penn State Wrestling: Cael Sanderson and Carter Starocci
Penn State wrestling has had many national champions, several Hodge Trophy winners and even Olympic Gold Medalist in David Taylor. But the program has never had UFC champ. If Nickal keeps winning, he could change that. It would certainly be another thing among the many that the program can rightfully boast about.
The current Penn State wrestling team opens its dual meet season Sunday afternoon against Drexel. Start time is scheduled for 2.
