UFC middleweight Bo Nickal allegedly has inside information on who will headline the card he’s targeting his return to later this year.
Undefeated middleweight Bo Nickal is on the verge of a Top 15 spot after his most recent win over Paul Craig at UFC 309 in November. Nickal, a former NCAA Division I wrestling national champion, will likely get a Top 15 opponent for his next appearance inside the Octagon.
Since the start of the year, talks over Nickal’s targeted return date and opponent have been relatively quiet. The American Top Team standout wants to return for the UFC’s rumored return to Miami, Florida for UFC 314 on April 12th at the Kaseya Center.
Nickal revealed he’s targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 314, but as of this writing, nothing has been formally announced nor reported regarding his next fight. But despite the mystery surrounding his return, Nickal allegedly knows what marquee fight will headline the UFC 314 event.
Bo Nickal potentially leaks UFC 314 main event
During a recent episode of his Nickals and Dimes podcast, Nickal took his announced target date further by potentially leaking a featherweight title rematch for UFC 314.
“It’s official, I know for a fact… I know [Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2] is happening,” Nickal said.
Nickal didn’t specify where he got the Ilia Topuria vs. Alexander Volkanovski 2 booking news from, but he seems extremely confident in his claims. Topuria knocked out Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight championship at UFC 298 last year, before finishing Max Holloway in his first title defense in October.
One contrary point to Nickal’s claims is that Topuria recently announced his intended move up to lightweight for his next fight. Topuria has called out the likes of Charles Oliveira and UFC lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in recent weeks since his latest win.
If Topuria is serious about leaving the featherweight division, Volkanovski would likely be the sure bet for a vacant title shot. Diego Lopes, who is rumored to face a former title challenger at UFC Mexico City, is another name to keep an eye on in the featherweight mix.
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Ilia Topuria’s lightweight teases complicate Alexander Volkanovski rematch
After Topuria knocked out Holloway at UFC 308, Volkanovski shared a brief post-fight exchange in the cage with Topuria to promote a potential rematch. Topuria seemed open to offering Volkanovski a rematch but has since pivoted on that stance amidst his lightweight plans.
Before the loss to Topuria, Volkanovski lost a short-notice lightweight title rematch with Makhachev at UFC 294. He’s lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career after a dominant reign as the UFC’s featherweight titleholder.
As for Nickal, a win over a top contender would likely be enough to earn a spot in the middleweight Top 15 despite his lack of experience. Before defeating Craig at UFC 309, Nickal finished Cody Brundage, Val Woodburn, and Jamie Pickett inside the Octagon.
An announcement regarding the UFC 314 main event is expected to come in the next few weeks. If Nickal’s claims are proven true, Miami is in for another wild UFC event in April.
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