Bo Nickal debut, Geoff Neal vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov confirmed for UFC 285

Bo Nickal's much-awaited UFC debut is finally scheduled to go down in March. The bout is scheduled for UFC 285 which will also accommodate a high-stakes welterweight clash between Geoff Neal and Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Dutch combat sports journalist Marcel Dorff reported the confirmation of both fights in an updated UFC schedule tweet.

The card will also feature the debut of undefeated Argentinian sensation Esteban Ribovics in a lightweight clash against Kamuela Kirk.

Neal and Rakhmonov were initially scheduled to co-headline the first UFC Fight Night of 2023 on January 14. But many suspected that Neal had chickened out after 'Handz of Steel' pulled out, citing an undisclosed injury. However, the rebooking of the fight on the UFC 285 card proves that the welterweight veteran is as game as ever.

Meanwhile, Bo Nickal was originally scheduled to make his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 in December. But 'The Allen Assassin' pulled out due to an undisclosed injury following which the matchup seemed to have fizzled out. The former three-time NCAA Division 1 champ will now finally get to test his skills inside the octagon in March.

Bo Nickal's condition for agreeing to a prelims bout

Bo Nickal earned his UFC contract with back-to-back first-round submission wins on DWCS. Apart from calling out the surging Khamzat Chimaev, 'The Allen Assassin' also claimed that he could defeat former champ Israel Adesanya.

Additionally, Nickal refused to fight on a preliminary card in his UFC debut, even threatening retirement. However, 'The Allen Assassin' eventually agreed to fight on the prelims under one condition.

Nickal is seemingly ready to accept a prelims spot if 10 fighters on the main card are bigger draws than him. The collegiate wrestling standout also admitted that the UFC roster contains several bigger draws than himself. The 26-year-old wrote on Twitter:

"I’ve been thinking about it a lot… If the UFC puts a card together with 10 people who are all bigger draws than me, which is doable as there are many bigger draws than me currently, I’ll fight on prelims. Pains me to say it but it’d be the right thing. What do y’all think?"