Wrestler who kept Bo Nickal out of the US team opens up on switch to MMA

David Taylor, the wrestler who prevented Bo Nickal from competing in the Olympics, has discussed a potential transition to MMA.

Over the past year, Nickal has made waves in the UFC middleweight division after earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. The 27-year-old is another primary example of the success a world-class wrestler can have in MMA.

Nickal’s impressive start to his UFC tenure led to fans and analysts becoming intrigued by another wrestling superstar potentially transitioning to MMA.

In April 2021, Bo Nickal competed against David Taylor in a battle between Penn State alums for a spot on the United States Olympic team in Tokyo. Taylor emerged victorious and later earned a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 to further his legacy.

Due to Taylor’s win against Nickal, some people have questioned how good the 33-year-old would be in MMA. During an interview on MMA Today, the gold medalist had this to say about potentially making the transition:

“You gotta want to be there. You gotta want to be locked in a cage. You gotta wanna be punched in the face. You gotta want those things. It’s hard to understand what that is until you’ve done it. I’ve done it on a small scale, and I have liked it. I got punched in the face for the very first time, and I kind of smiled. I was like, alright, this is different, this is different than what I thought it was.”

The Penn State alum continued:

“It’s something I thought about. I spent some time doing it. I liked it. Right now, I don’t wanna get distracted from wrestling because wrestling is very hard. It’s definitely something that’s on my mind. We’ll cross that bridge as we get a little bit closer…That’s not a decision I can truly make right now. Let’s talk in a year, and I can give you a better answer.”

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What is Bo Nickal’s record in the UFC?

Bo Nickal competed in Dana White’s Contender Series twice between August and September 2022. He secured first-round submissions in both fights to earn a UFC contract, leading to his promotional debut in March of this year.

Nickal started with a first-round submission against Jamie Pickett at UFC 285. Four months later, the Penn State alum showcased his versatility by knocking out Val Woodburn in less than a minute, extending his professional MMA record to 5-0.

It’s unclear who Bo Nickal will fight next, but the MMA community is eagerly waiting to see if he can accomplish his world title expectations.