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Bo Nickal

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Bo Nickal

Bo Dean Nickal (born January 14, 1996) is an American professional mixed martial artist, freestyle wrestler, and graduated folkstyle wrestler who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He also competes in the Light Heavyweight division of Real American Freestyle (RAF), where he is the current RAF Light Heavyweight Champion.

In freestyle wrestling, he claimed the 2019 U23 World Championship and the US Open national championship, and was a finalist at the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials and a Final X contestant in 2019. As a collegiate wrestler, Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion (finalist in 2016) and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Pennsylvania State University.

Considered one of the most accomplished Nittany Lions of all time, Nickal earned the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's most outstanding collegiate wrestler, was a two-time Schalles Award winner as the nation's best pinner and was also named the 2019 Big Ten Athlete of the Year.

Nickal was born in Rifle, Colorado, but moved to Wyoming at a young age, where he started wrestling around five or six years old. In fifth grade, he moved to Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Nickal made the varsity high school team while in eighth grade and placed second at the New Mexico state tournament that same season.

As a high school freshman, he moved once again, now to Allen High School in Allen, Texas. He placed second at the Texas state tournament his freshman year, and then won every state tournament he competed in from his sophomore-year onward, becoming a three-time Texas state champion. As a junior, he placed fifth at the 2013 U17 World Championships in freestyle. After finishing his junior year, Nickal committed to wrestle as a Nittany Lion at the Pennsylvania State University. He graduated from high school with a 183–7 record, including 131 pins, and was the pound-for-pound ninth-ranked wrestler in the nation.

Nickal opted to compete under a redshirt during his first collegiate year, compiling a 15–2 record in open tournaments while wrestling unattached at 174 pounds.

Entering his freshman season ranked fourteenth in the country, Nickal won his first eighteen matches, claiming titles from the Nittany Lion Open and the Southern Scuffle and notable victories over returning NCAA runner-up Brian Realbuto, multiple DI All-Americans in Zach Epperly, Bryce Hammond and Ethan Ramos, and future NCAA champion Myles Martin. In his nineteenth match, Nickal, now the top-ranked 174-pounder in the country, was defeated by Nate Jackson on points, ending his streak. Afterwards, Nickal bounced back with eight straight wins, including another one over Martin, to finish the regular season with a record of 26–1. At the Big Ten Conference Championships, Nickal claimed three bonus point-victories, including a fall over Martin and a major over Zac Brunson in the finale. Nickal entered the NCAA's as the top-seed, defeating his first three opponents to make the semifinals, where he avenged his regular season loss to Nate Jackson on points, advancing to the finals. In the finals, Nickal faced the eleventh seed in Myles Martin, whom he had already defeated three times earlier, but was defeated by the opposition in a close and frenetic upset, claiming runner-up honors.

Nickal then went up to 86 kilograms for the 2016 US Last Chance World Trials Qualifier (freestyle) in April, where he placed fourth after recording a 5–2 record. He then attempted to make the 2016 U20 US World Team, but was stopped by Zahid Valencia.

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