Bo Nickal next fight: When and who is the undefeated UFC star fighting next?

Rising middleweight superstar Bo Nickal will fight under the UFC banner for the third time in April. In Aug 2022, Nickal fought on Dana White’s Contender Series for the first time with a professional MMA record of 1-0.

Following an impressive first-round submission win, the former Penn State wrestler returned to DWCS a month later and secured another first-round submission to earn his UFC contract.

Since then, Nickal has validated the massive expectations with two more first-round finishes - a submission against Jamie Pickett and a knockout against Val Woodburn.

The American Top Team affiliate is nearing a ranked opponent, but first, he must get through another unranked challenge.

On April 13, UFC will return to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 300. During the preliminary portion, Nickal will face Cody Brundage in his toughest test in the Octagon yet.

Brundage may not be ranked, but he shouldn’t be overlooked by Nickal or the MMA community. The 29-year-old was once riding a three-match losing streak before bouncing back in the second half of 2023 by defeating Jacob Malkoun and Zach Reese in round one.

The Factory X affiliate now looks to capitalize on Bo Nickal’s star power by handing the collegiate wrestling superstar his first professional MMA loss.

---

Bo Nickal believes his “skills match up very well” against Khamzat Chimaev

Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev haven’t seen eye to eye since the former signed with the UFC. Both fighters believe that they have superior grappling skills and would win in a fight, which must be tested inside the Octagon down the road.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour earlier this month, Nickal had this to say about Chimaev’s latest win, which was a majority decision against Kamaru Usman at middleweight:

"I think in the first round he looked lights out like he always does. He got Usman on the ground, held him down, beat him up, and was close to a finish a couple of times. But then the pace slowed for the both of them as rounds went on... I think there's a lot to take away positively and negatively... I believe [I beat him]... I believe in myself and I think that my skills match up very well against him."

Nickal has a long way to go before fighting for UFC gold. With that said, the three-time NCAA Division I national champion has showcased the tools needed to complete the journey.

But, first things first, he must get through Cody Brundage on April 13 at UFC 300.

Watch Nickal discuss Chimaev fighting Usman below: