Where Does Bo Nickal Train? Gym, Coach, Teammates, & More

Bo Nickal is all set to fight Paul Craig in a main card match at UFC 309, one of the most exciting fight cards in the history of the promotion. Now, as things move forward, so will Nickal’s training. He is one of the few wrestling-heavy fighters in the current middleweight division, albeit being unranked. And much of the credit for his success goes to his world-class MMA team.

Paul Craig has a record of 17-8-1 and has way more experience in the sport than Bo Nickal, who is currently sitting at 6-0. Now, for his seventh professional bout, on one of the biggest pay-per-views ever witnessed by the promotion, Nickal will want to be at his best, and that is where his team comes in.

Bo Nickal’s gym and training

Bo Nickal represents the famous American Top Team which operates out of Coconut Creek, Florida. He entered into a deeper relationship with them when he entered into a partnership for their Happy Valley branch that opened in 2021 in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania. Nickal transitioned from wrestling to Mixed Martial Arts in 2019 and has been making strides at the gym ever since.

American Top Team founder Dan Lambert was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm of the people of the small locality where their gym was opening up. If you feel like the name American Top Team rings a bell, it’s because it’s the gym that’s behind many fighters and champions.

The list includes Dustin Poirier, Amanda Nunes, Tyron Woodley, and many more. Nickal is well on his way to find himself in the upper rankings so that he can eventually be up there to challenge the champion. “One thing I feel makes this area so special is the support in the community and I’ve really felt that truly for the last seven years since I moved to State College,” he said about the new gym in an interview.

“This has been a long process of getting this gym put together and I had so much help along the way.” Now, his training will help him try and secure a win against a much-experienced fighter that is Cody Brundage and it’s only good news that his coach is with him too.

Bo Nickal’s coach has full faith in him

Bo Nickal’s MMA career is fresh out of the wrestling mat. He’s young in the sport, but there’s no way to deny that he was a great college wrestler. Does that always help translate to the cage? His coach believes Nickal has all the tools and grit that he’ll need.

“Obviously, he’s moving quickly,” coach Mike Brown from the American Top Team said. “He literally has three minutes of professional fighting experience. I think he’s had five fights [total], they’ve all been pretty quick if you count his amateur career. I don’t even need to say it. This guy is not a normal guy . . .”

He even added that Nickal has what it takes to conquer the division which is currently dominated by heavy strikers. “Of course, he has the ability to be a UFC champion and that’s the direction he’s headed. That’s where we’re going. He has everything he needs to make that happen and I think he’s on that path.”

Bo Nickal’s teammates

Bo Nickal does not directly train with many fighters from American Top Team given the relatively remote location of Pleasant Gap. However, in terms of being from the same gym, there are many. From the middleweight division itself, Nickal shares the same team as former UFC star Yoel Romero and Bellator champ Johnny Eblen.

From other weight classes, as mentioned before, he’s on the same team as Dustin Poirier and Tyron Woodley. From welterweight apart from Woodley, he’s also teammates with Jorge Masvidal, the former BMF title holder, and has even helped ‘Gamebred’ prepare for his fights. Given that he trains at the same gym that trained all these amazing fighters, perhaps him being a champion one day is nothing short of destiny. What are your thoughts?

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