Watch: Bo Nickal Demolishes CFFC Champion In 52 Seconds For UFC contract
If there was any doubt that Bo Nickal isn’t mixed martial artist material, that doubt has been erased now as the former three-time Division-I national champion lived up to the hype in Dana White’s Contender Series matchup against Donovan Beard.
Nickal was up against a formidable opponent in Beard (7-2) – CFFC middleweight champion – in the final bout of DWCS Season 6. Nickal finished Beard in the very first round with a triangle choke submission.
Incase you live under a rock, here is the entire Bo Nickal vs. Donovan Beard fight.
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Nickal started the fight with a spring in his feet and immediately landed a solid left that dropped Beard. Nickal capitalized on the opportunity and entered directly into the mount.
As Beard tried to make his way up, Nickal wrapped his legs around his head and finished the matter then and there as the CFFC champ was quick to tap out.
With the win, Nickal was very deservingly awarded the UFC contract. In August, Nickal submitted Zack Borrego in 62 seconds. The two DWCS victories come after a successful 31-second knockout in his pro debut for iKon FC.
Nickal might be a newcomer to the fraternity of MMA but he is quite a familiar name among the wrestling bodies as he is a three-time Division-I national champion and three-time Big Ten conference champion for Penn State.
He finished his college career with a 120-3 record, including a combined 61-0 record in his junior and senior years.
In 2019, Nickal earned the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy, an accolade awarded to the nation’s best wrestler. Now the 26-year-old has shifted his attention to the sport of MMA and is currently training at American Top Team in South Florida. He has also a blue belt in jiu-jitsu.