Was UFC Star Bo Nickal an Olympian? Everything You Need to Know About His Wrestling Career

Bo Nickal grabbed major attention from UFC fans when he was spotted training with the noted UFC star, Jorge Masvidal. The former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler became a part of ‘Gamebred’s training camp prior to his bout against his former friend turned foe, Colby Covington. ‘Chaos’s strong grip over wrestling had Masvidal bringing over a former NCAA champion wrestler as his instructor.

Following his time with Masvidal, Nickal went on to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series to earn himself a UFC contract. From then on, a lot of fans became a part of his journey to the UFC. But, it’s also a known fact that was an Olympic aspirant in wrestling. Numerous UFC fans might still be in question about what happened to Nickal’s Olympic dreams.

Was Bo Nickal an Olympian?

A major chunk of MMA and combat sports fans know about Nickal‘s aspirations to represent his country in the sport of wrestling at the Olympics. The 28-year-old, 6’ 1″ tall American also showcased a lot of promise right from his high school days. But his sudden transition to MMA after his time with Masvidal might have lots of fans wondering about what happened to Nickal‘s Olympic Dream.

Nickal cannot be considered an Olympian, as he never competed in the Olympics. However, the Colorado native had come quite close to making it to the stage of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. But, unfortunately, it was put to an end by one of his former teammates named David Taylor.

How Many NCAA Titles Does Bo Nickal have?

Nickal is a highly accomplished wrestler who had been to the finals of the Olympic trials for the USA in the 86-kg division. He also boasts an outstanding achievement of bagging three NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships to date.

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He became a household name in the world of American wrestling after his superb achievement of winning the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships three times consecutively. Nickal proved his mettle in the 184 lbs division and went on to claim the gold both in 2017 and 2018. The following year, he went up to the 197 lbs division and proved his prowess there as well, winning his third NCAA title.

Bo Nickal’s NCAA Wrestling Pedigree

Nickal competed in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships for four years consecutively and held brilliant ranks in each of them. He started off his NCAA Wrestling journey in the year 2016. He also went on to win silver in his debut NCAA campaign. Nickal won the first three of his 2016 NCAA Championship bouts advancing to the semifinals. He also managed to defeat his known rival, Nate Jackson, in the semis, earning himself a shot at the NCAA Championship in his first-ever NCAA competition.

Nickal fell short of victory in the finals against Myles Martin. He had to be satisfied with silver for 2016. The following year had him going up to the 184 lbs division. However, Nickal looked much stronger in this division as he once again made his way to the finals smoothly. This time he faced Gabe Dean in the finals, who gave him a tough challenge. But Nickal finally came up victorious winning his first NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship.

His 2018 NCAA campaign was similar to his 2017 one in some ways. It also presented Nickal with an opportunity to avenge his 2016 loss, since he had the same, Myles Martin standing between him and his second NCAA Championship victory. However, Nickal proved that he had learned enough from his previous mistakes. This time, he got the better of Martin with one of his signature pins. The 2019 season had the 28-year-old moving further up to the 197lbs division. Still, he showcased his prowess in this division as well, claiming the gold after defeating Kollin Moore in his final season of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.

How and when did Bo Nickal’s pursuit of the Olympics end?

Bo Nickal started off his wrestling trials for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in a pretty promising way. He earned 3 straight victories in the ’round of 16′, quarterfinals, and semifinals of the trials advancing straight to the finals. Nickal‘s wrestling looked quite ahead of his peers in the initial phases of the trial. He went on to defeat Carter Starocci in his round of 16 bouts; following which he faced the third-seeded Pat Downey.

He not only managed to get the better of him, but also went on to win his next match against Zahid Valencia. Nickal advanced to the finals of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 trial; which was being held in 2021 due to the infamous coronavirus pandemic in 2020. But, Masvidal‘s wrestling instructor had to taste defeat in the finals against his friend, David Taylor, which ruled him out of the Tokyo Olympics trial, shattering his Olympic dreams.

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Following that, he continued freestyle wrestling. However, he was invited to join the coveted ‘BMF’ of the UFC, Jorge Masvidal, in 2022. MMA and the UFC probably fascinated Nickal, and he decided to opt for it, leaving his Olympic dream aside.

Where and who is Bo Nickal fighting next?

A lot of fans might agree on the point Nickal had to take a rather long route to get into the UFC. Even after winning Dana White’s Contender Series 49, Nickal was denied a UFC contract due to his relative inexperience. He only had two professional MMA bouts under his belt, which made him questionable to be awarded a UFC contract.

However, his superb prowess propelled the UFC supremo, Dana White, to arrange another bout for him. Nickal showcased complete domination in that fight as well, finishing his opponent, Donovan Beard, at 52 seconds from the beginning.

They finally awarded him his UFC contract after this bout. Nickal was also scheduled to fight the known UFC Middleweight, Jamie Pickett, at UFC 282 on 10 December 2022. But the former was unable to fight due to an injury. Their bout was rescheduled for the UFC 285; which is coming up in a few more days, on 4 March 2023.

Apart from the coveted Jon Jones vs Cyril Gane main event of the night. There probably also are a lot of fans who would be tuning into the event to watch Bo Nickal primarily. Do you think Nickal will be able to fetch a victory in his debut bout at UFC 285?