Bo Nickal is taking on a brand new challenge.
The UFC middleweight prospect transitioned into MMA in 2021 off the heels of a tremendous collegiate wrestling career at Penn State. Now Nickal is returning to his roots, as he announced on Wednesday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show” that he has signed with Real American Freestyle (RAF) wrestling.
“I’m going to be pursuing something new, pursuing something different that’s maybe a little bit foreign to a lot of the MMA fans that listen to this show,” Nickal said. “There’s this lesser-known sport called wrestling. It’s a really great base for professional MMA, and I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and do some wrestling matches with the Real American Freestyle promotion coming up. August 30, I’ll be competing in Cleveland, Ohio, and putting the singlet and shoes on, and see how it goes.
“At the end of the day, my UFC contract is me fighting MMA with them, and I think at the same time, for me to compete in wrestling, you see a lot of guys do jiu-jitsu matches or whatever it is. Realistically with fighting, I’ve been getting two fights a year, and I think that’s probably going to be continuing, I think that’s going to be the trend, which I’m fine with. But I’m 29 years old, in my prime, and I’m just fired up to compete. … [My] competitive spirit is just as strong as its ever been, so I’m looking to get a few wrestling matches before the fights, and I think it will just keep me sharp, motivated and hungry.”
Nickal comes as a surprise addition to the Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff-helmed endeavor, considering his status as a UFC-contracted athlete. RAF is the latest attempt to professionalize amateur wrestling. Longtime wrestling coach Izzy Martinez is also involved in spearheading the project.
Ultimately, Nickal joins a laundry list of ultra-talented wrestlers involved, including names like Wyatt Hendrickson, Lance Palmer, Darrion Caldwell, Beau Bartlett, Nathan Tomasello, Matt Ramos, Seth Gross, Mikey Caliendo, Sarah Hildebrandt, Lucía “Jami” Guzman, Audrey Jimenez, Zeltin Hernandez Guerra, Kennedy Blades, Zahid Valencia, David Carr, Kyle Dake, Trent Hidlay, Kyle Snyder, Aaron Brooks, Evan Wick, Austin Gomez, Real Woods, Will Lewan and Parker Keckeisen.
At UFC Des Moines this past May, Nickal suffered his first defeat in professional MMA after starting 7-0, falling short in a second-round stoppage at the hands of Reinier de Ridder. Ideally, Nickal is hoping to return to the cage sooner rather than later. In the meantime, though, he awaits his first dance partner with RAF. He’s open to all comers, even a fantasy matchup with a recently retired all-time great.
“I’m ready to go with anyone,” Nickal said. “Jon Jones vs. Bo Nickal wrestling? He’s a little big. I’ll meet him at 230 [pounds] or something.
“It’s friendly. That’s the thing about wrestling, it’s cool — it’s not like you’re punching each other in the face, and you can just compete, and I scrap with my buddies every day. It gets chippy and then you maybe talk a little crap here and there, then it’s all good.”
In addition to competing, Nickal noted that he’ll also provide commentary for RAF and help serve as a mentor for his fellow wrestlers who are looking to keep their careers alive after collegiate athletics.