Bo Nickal: From Dominant Wrestler to UFC Prospect
Every so often, you come across athletes that possess an innate ability to become elite at different sports quickly. On the other side of the coin, you also see athletes who need to work countless hours to achieve their aspirations. Bo Nickal is a 27-year-old former wrestler competing in the UFC Middleweight Division, and his journey showcases a blend of natural talent and dedicated training. This article delves into Nickal's wrestling stats, highlighting his accomplishments and transition into the world of mixed martial arts.
Early Wrestling Career
Bo Nickal's wrestling journey began early, between the ages of five and six. He quickly progressed, making his high school’s varsity wrestling team in the eighth grade. His early success included placing second at the New Mexico state wrestling tournament as an eighth and ninth grader. He then went undefeated for the rest of his high school career, finishing with an impressive overall 183-7 record and 131 pins.
Collegiate Wrestling at Penn State
Nickal's collegiate career at Penn State was marked by consistent improvement and dominance. He wrestled at three different weight classes. After a redshirt season, he came in as a freshman in the 174 lb division. Nickal moved up to 184 lbs the following season and built an undefeated record heading into the Big Ten Conference Championship. He would eventually place third in the tournament following a loss to Myles Martin in the semifinals and a win to claim bronze. Despite the setback, Nickal rebounded nicely to go on a run in the NCAA tournament, eventually winning the whole tournament for the first time in his college career.
His junior wrestling season saw him return to dominant form. Bo Nickal went undefeated in regular season action, won the Big Ten Conference Championship, and then won the NCAA tournament, beating rival Myles Martin in both finals. For his performance, Nickal won the NCAA MVP award for wrestling and the Schalles award for being the top pinner in the country. In his senior year, Nickal moved to 197 lbs for the last weight class of his competitive college career. He adjusted well, winning the Big Ten Conference Championship and the NCAA tournament. For his success, Nickal was awarded a second Schalles award and the most prestigious award in college wrestling, the Dan Hodge trophy. His success transcended wrestling, as he received the Big Ten Athlete of the Year award.
The Dan Hodge Trophy
The Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate wrestler in the nation by ASICS and presented by WIN Magazine/Culture House, is considered "wrestling's Heisman Trophy." Bo Nickal won the Hodge! The Nittany Lion won his third NCAA championship on March 23, defeating Kollin Moore of Ohio State. In a year that featured four outstanding finalists for the award, known as "wrestling's Heisman Trophy," Nickal won the honor over a senior teammate Jason Nolf, also a three-time NCAA champ who had very similar stats as Nickal.
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Criteria for the Hodge include a wrestler's record, number of pins, dominance, and quality of competition. Nickal had the most pins of the four finalists with 18. Nolf finished with 15 falls, while Ashnault had 8 and Diakomihalis 7. Nickal put up bonus points in all but 3 of his 30 matches for a bonus-point percentage of 90 percent.
“It’s something I’ve wanted since I was in high school and I first found out about the award,” Nickal said. “It’s a validation for my hard work."
Penn State coach Cael Sanderson is a three-time Hodge winner (2000-2002). "We are very happy and proud of Bo winning the 2019 Hodge Trophy," Sanderson said. "He truly had an amazing college career and he will not only go down as one of the best ever, but also one of the most entertaining and dangerous wrestlers ever. "Every year it seems the competition gets more intense, and this year was no exception," said Chapman.
Comparisons to Cael Sanderson
Since Nickal moved from 184 pounds to 197, like what Sanderson did for his senior season at Iowa State before winning his third Hodge, comparisons are made between the current coach and his pupil.
"We've been asked that before," Nickal said. "We definitely differ on opinions on that one. I think I would take nine out of 10 against him. And I'm not sure he'd even get the one."
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International Freestyle Wrestling
Following Bo Nickal’s college wrestling career, he competed internationally in 2019 as a freestyle wrestler. While his focus was mainly on wrestling, Nickal already told the public about his intentions to transition into MMA. However, he was first looking to continue garnering acclaim in his primary sport of wrestling while also trying to qualify for the World Championships and Olympics.
Nickal competed in the US Open in 2019 at 92 kg (202.8 lbs) due to teammate David Taylor representing the US at his native 86 kg (189.5 lbs), and despite being new to the weight, he went on to win the championship. Nickal’s success in the US Open automatically put him in the World Team Trials Challenge finals, where he dominated to secure the win. These wins put him just one man away from representing the US in the 2019 World Championships. Unfortunately, Nickal lost to J’den Cox over two matches to fall short, but at just 23 years old, he could still redeem himself to earn a spot in the U23 World Championships.
Bo Nickal continued to compete in freestyle wrestling against the planet’s best wrestlers until 2021 and would even challenge longtime teammate David Taylor in the finals of a tournament that would decide the US representative in the Summer Olympics. Bo Nickal vs David Taylor was a legendary matchup, but the truth is that the two are better as friends than as competitors. From the perspective of Bo Nickal’s wrestling career, his post-collegiate performance was likely marred by his desire to be great, in the sense that he never stuck with one particular weight class for too long.
Transition to MMA
Nickal's transition to MMA has been highly anticipated, given his wrestling pedigree. Just think about how many past UFC greats came from an NCAA wrestling background; Chris Weidman, Matt Hughes, Dan Henderson - the list goes on. Now, think about the fact that Bo Nickal is potentially a better wrestler than any of them ever were. As an MMA fighter, Bo Nickal holds a professional record of 4-0, with three of those fights coming in a UFC octagon. After his first fight in Jorge Masvidal’s iKON FC, he went to Dana White’s Contender series. White wanted to bolster his fight experience before awarding him a contract, so Bo Nickal grabbed two quick submission wins to secure his official spot in the promotion. This past March, Bo Nickal submitted Jamie Pickett in the first round of his live UFC debut, giving fans a taste of what an athlete of his pedigree could achieve.
Bo Nickal's next fight is against Valentine Woodburn this saturday.
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