UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal is returning to his roots as he waits to sign off on his UFC return.
Bo Nickal suffered one of the year’s most shocking defeats when he was knocked out by Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. The blue-chip MMA prospect dominated his previous fights, including in recent wins over Val Woodburn and Cody Brundage.
Nickal is planning on returning to the Octagon later this year against a to-be-determined opponent. After falling to De Ridder, Nickal’s pursuit of a spot in the middleweight Top 15 hit a big setback, but another win or two could move him closer to the rankings.
In the meantime, Nickal will utilize his elite wrestling base as he prepares for his August 30th combat sports return.
Bo Nickal set for wrestling comeback as he plots UFC comeback fight
As Nickal announced on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, he has signed with upstart wrestling promotion Real American Freestyle on a multi-fight deal. He’ll debut for the promotion on August 30th against a to-be-announced opponent.
“At the end of the day, my contract with the UFC, I’m going to be fighting with MMA with them and then I think at the same time there’s room for me to compete in wrestling,” Nickal said.
“You see a lot of guys do jiu-jitsu matches or wherever it is. I just have the fire in me to compete as much as I can and realistically with fighting, I’ve been getting two fights a year. I think that’s going to be the trend, which is fine with me. But I’m 29 years old in my prime, and I’m just fired up to compete. The thing about a wrestling match is it’s so different from a fight in the preparation. I could step on the mat right now with no warmup and compete with the best guys in the world.” (h/t MMA Junkie)
RAF is headed by WWE legend Hulk Hogan. The promotion’s inaugural event will take place in Cleveland, OH on August 30th, although it’s uncertain if Nickal will serve as the card’s headliner.
Before launching his MMA career in 2022, Nickal made himself into a household name in freestyle wrestling. Nickal is considered one of the greatest competitors in NCAA Division I wrestling history, winning three national championship titles at Penn State.
Nickal also revealed that he’s targeting a UFC return in either October or November. He didn’t mention a specific opponent in mind for his UFC comeback, which will likely take place against another unranked middleweight.
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Bo Nickal looks to avenge first career MMA loss after Reinier de Ridder knockout
Nickal hasn’t let his doubters go unanswered following his shocking UFC Des Moines defeat. Critics like fellow UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer have been critical of Nickal in recent months, and Nickal recently said he plans on ‘keeping receipts’ as he plots this next chapter of his MMA career.
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took things a step further, labeling Nickal as ‘pathetic’ and ‘not a real fighter’. Rockhold hasn’t fought in MMA since a loss to Paulo Costa at UFC 278.
Before falling to De Ridder, Nickal won two Dana White’s Contender Series fights and was unbeaten through seven MMA appearances. He made his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett at UFC 285, winning by first-round submission.