Bo Nickal
USA
Emphatic return to win column
Nickal defeated Rodolfo Vieira via KO (head kick) at 2:24 of Round 3 at UFC 322 on Saturday in New York City.
ANALYSIS
Fresh off a knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder his last time out in May, this result was a best-case scenario for Nickal. The UFC didn't make it easy on him, giving him an elite submission specialist who had never been taken down in his time with the company, but Bo found a way. He found a way because he dominated an overmatched Vieira on the feet, in addition to picking up two takedowns. It's easy to forget that Nickal has all of nine professional fights under his belt at age 29. It's also easy to forget there's a huge group of guys better than Vieira, but not as good as de Ridder. Bo's next fight should tell us a lot more about his future than this one did.
Fresh off a knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder his last time out in May, this result was a best-case scenario for Nickal. The UFC didn't make it easy on him, giving him an elite submission specialist who had never been taken down in his time with the company, but Bo found a way. He found a way because he dominated an overmatched Vieira on the feet, in addition to picking up two takedowns. It's easy to forget that Nickal has all of nine professional fights under his belt at age 29. It's also easy to forget there's a huge group of guys better than Vieira, but not as good as de Ridder. Bo's next fight should tell us a lot more about his future than this one did.
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Facing Vieira in November
Nickal will take on Rodolfo Vieira in a middleweight bout at UFC 322 in New York City on Nov. 15, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Nickal is off to a great start in his UFC career, boasting a 4-1 record. He's coming off a bounce-back win over Jacob Cardenas after Reinier de Ridder, who handed him his first loss in the promotion. His opponent is also coming off a bounce-back victory following a loss, so both fighters will be looking to stack wins and momentum in Madison Square Garden.
Nickal is off to a great start in his UFC career, boasting a 4-1 record. He's coming off a bounce-back win over Jacob Cardenas after Reinier de Ridder, who handed him his first loss in the promotion. His opponent is also coming off a bounce-back victory following a loss, so both fighters will be looking to stack wins and momentum in Madison Square Garden.
Hype train comes to sudden halt
Nickal lost to Reinier de Ridder via TKO (knees) at 1:53 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
ANALYSIS
It's the first loss in the brief professional career of Nickal, and it came in overwhelming and stunning fashion. Bo looked out of sorts from the very start. He couldn't get anything going on the feet and did little with his lone Round 1 takedown. He appeared to gas out almost immediately and found himself trapped along the fence early in Round 2. De Ridder unloaded a knee to the body and another to the head to put Nickal in dire straits. He was unable to survive. RDR is a quality opponent, but if Bo is the uber-prospect many claimed him to be, this result can't be happening. The hype train has come to a crashing halt.
It's the first loss in the brief professional career of Nickal, and it came in overwhelming and stunning fashion. Bo looked out of sorts from the very start. He couldn't get anything going on the feet and did little with his lone Round 1 takedown. He appeared to gas out almost immediately and found himself trapped along the fence early in Round 2. De Ridder unloaded a knee to the body and another to the head to put Nickal in dire straits. He was unable to survive. RDR is a quality opponent, but if Bo is the uber-prospect many claimed him to be, this result can't be happening. The hype train has come to a crashing halt.
Scheduled against de Ridder
Nickal is scheduled to compete against Reinier de Ridder in a middleweight fight at UFC Des Moines on May 3, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
2025 will be Nickal's first crack at entering the UFC's middleweight rankings. De Ridder is ranked No. 13 of 15 after he began his 2025 by submitting Kevin Holland. If the hype is real, Nickal should have no problem defeating de Ridder just like he did his previous four opponents. Except for Paul Craig at UFC 309, the wrestling standout finished all his adversaries.
2025 will be Nickal's first crack at entering the UFC's middleweight rankings. De Ridder is ranked No. 13 of 15 after he began his 2025 by submitting Kevin Holland. If the hype is real, Nickal should have no problem defeating de Ridder just like he did his previous four opponents. Except for Paul Craig at UFC 309, the wrestling standout finished all his adversaries.
Takes snoozer at UFC 309
Nickal defeated Paul Craig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 309 on Saturday in New York City.
ANALYSIS
To give you an idea what the crowd at MSG thought of this one, they were chanting "overrated" at Nickal by the time it was over. Entering as a -1200 favorite, Bo was supposed to roll through Craig without issue en route to his next challenge. It didn't work out like that. He didn't attempt a single takedown, instead choosing to fight Craig in a 15-minute kickboxing match. Nickal landed the more notable blows, and that won him the fight, but nothing we saw tonight suggests Bo is ready to face elite competition. The UFC has been criticized for slow playing things with Nickal -- perhaps the greatest prospect in the history of the sport -- but the company may have been correct all along. He still has plenty of work to do.
To give you an idea what the crowd at MSG thought of this one, they were chanting "overrated" at Nickal by the time it was over. Entering as a -1200 favorite, Bo was supposed to roll through Craig without issue en route to his next challenge. It didn't work out like that. He didn't attempt a single takedown, instead choosing to fight Craig in a 15-minute kickboxing match. Nickal landed the more notable blows, and that won him the fight, but nothing we saw tonight suggests Bo is ready to face elite competition. The UFC has been criticized for slow playing things with Nickal -- perhaps the greatest prospect in the history of the sport -- but the company may have been correct all along. He still has plenty of work to do.
Next fight at MSG
Nickal will take on Paul Craig in a middleweight matchup at UFC 309 on November 16, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
While wrestling is the primary strength of Nickal, and two of his five UFC fights have been won by way of submission, Craig represents the best pure grappler that the undefeated prospect has faced to date. That said, while Craig is miles ahead of Nickal in terms of MMA experience and big-name opponents, he also has lost four of his last fights and has been relegated to "gatekeeper" status. Nickal should be favored, and should he prove he's able to take care of business here, a ranked opponent could very well be on the horizon.
While wrestling is the primary strength of Nickal, and two of his five UFC fights have been won by way of submission, Craig represents the best pure grappler that the undefeated prospect has faced to date. That said, while Craig is miles ahead of Nickal in terms of MMA experience and big-name opponents, he also has lost four of his last fights and has been relegated to "gatekeeper" status. Nickal should be favored, and should he prove he's able to take care of business here, a ranked opponent could very well be on the horizon.