Bo Nickal out of UFC 282 bout due to injury; rumored to be rescheduled for March
Bo Nickal has withdrawn from his previously scheduled debut at UFC 282.
Per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie, mixed martial arts prospect Bo Nickal will no longer make his promotional debut on December 12th for UFC 282 in Las Vegas. After two straight dominant victories on Dana White’s Contender Series, the former college wrestling national champion was set to make his official Octagon debut against Jamie Pickett. Per the report, Nickal withdrew from the contest due to an injury.
Fans will have to wait just a little bit longer before seeing Bo Nickal on the big stage. The three-time Big Ten champion is now slated to debut on March 4th. With no official announcements as of yet, that date is rumored to be UFC 285, main evented by the highly anticipated trilogy bout between welterweight champion Leon Edwards and former titleholder Kamaru Usman. Dana White recently suggested that the same card could also feature a high-profile welterweight bout between a returning Colby Covington and the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Jamie Pickett is expected to remain as Nickal’s opponent for the event.
Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev Could Share the Same Card in March
Bo Nickal sent shockwaves through the MMA community with back-to-back first-round submission victories on Dana White‘s Contender Series over a six-week timeframe. He got their attention once again when he targeted Chechen-born Khamzat Chimaev in his post-fight interview. During an appearance on ‘The MMA Hour’ with Ariel Helwani after earning his UFC contract, Nickal doubled down on his callout of Chimaev.
“First off, this dude talks about he’s ready to go always, he’s a gangster, this and that – bro, you can’t even beat the scale,” Nickal said on ‘The MMA Hour.’ “What are you doing? This is just a dude that has no accountability, who doesn’t treat the sport professionally. That makes me way less nervous to fight him in the future, because we’re going to fight, and I know that he’s not committed like I am. He’s not willing to do the things that I’m willing to do. Yeah, he’s talented. Yeah, he has skills. But if that’s how you approach the sport, if that’s how you treat it, we’re on different levels.
“People will act like I’m talking crazy, because I say I’m ready to go. Chimaev, let’s get it. But the reality is this dude won three national titles in Sweden and then came into MMA and has 10 fights. I’ve been competing since I was 5. I had 120-plus NCAA wrestling matches. I won a U-23 world championship. I’m coming with 10 times the experience you have. So when people say, ‘You’re not ready, stay in your lane,’ y’all don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. So you’ll see what happens once we get in the cage.”
Now it appears the two fighters could find themselves in London for UFC 285 should everything go according to plan. With Khamzat Chimaev’s penchant for causing chaos, we could be in for some major fireworks long before Baba O’Riley graces the stadium speakers.
