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Bo Nickal earned a UFC contract after a successful outing at Dana White's Contender Series 56. In what was his second shot at a UFC contract, Nickal walked home successfully as he won his fight.
The three-time Division 1 national champion faced CFFC middleweight champion Donovan Beard. The bout did not seem to be much of a problem as Nickal cruised through his opponents in 0:52 seconds of round one.
As the fight started, Nickal landed a left hand which sent Beard to the canvas. Once his opponent was down, Nickal wasted no time in attaining mount.
While Beard did his best to escape, Nickal pulled guard and wrapped his legs upwards to attain a triangle choke. Both the squeeze and the tap were quick as Nickal improved his record to 3-0.
Having secured his place in the UFC, Bo Nickal now hopes to secure the status of becoming pound-for-pound number one. In his post-fight interview, the Penn State wrestling champion detailed his ambitions. He said:
"That’s what we do baby. Born for this, bred for this. I train every day so I can be the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world. I’m barely into my career but I’m headed straight to the top."
Check out what Bo Nickal said in the video below:
Dana White expalained why he did not give Bo Nickal a UFC contract the first time
Bo Nickal's UFC contract was well earned as this was his second opportunity at it. Previously too, the fighter had competed in the DWCS, but failed to earn a UFC contract.
At Dana White's Contender Series 49, Nickal stepped inside the octagon to face Zack Borrego. While Nickal was one fight into his career back then, Borrego was undefeated and boasted a 3-0 record.
Despite not being as experienced as his opponent, Nickal made quick work of Borrego. The highly decorated college wrestler secured a submission victory via rear-naked-choke.
After his brilliant performance at DWCS 49, many expected Nickal to earn a UFC contract. However, that did not happen at the time. UFC President Dana White also justified the reason behind not giving the fighter a contract. He said:
"He’s 1-0, 2-0 now, fought a kid that was 3-0, made it look really easy. Let’s get him one more fight and let’s test him. (If he) Gets past that with flying colors, we bring him in and we give him a fight in the UFC."
Check out what Dana White said below:
