Bo Nickal reveals the biggest challenge he faced in wrestling to UFC transition

Bo Nickal was in attendance as his alma mater Penn State asserted its wrestling dominance in front of a sold-out Bryce Jordan Center in University Park. The former three-time NCAA division 1 champion weighed in on his transition to MMA in an interview with Penn State Wrestling.

Having made his professional MMA debut last year under the iKon FC banner, Nickal went on to earn a UFC contract with just three pro outings to his name. According to 'The Allen Assassin', he almost had to start MMA training from score despite being a Hodge trophy winner in wrestling. The UFC middleweight said:

"You know, just understanding the pace, the range, kind of overall just approaching the sport from a beginners perspective. You know, I wrestled for so long and now transitioning to MMA, kind of having to start from scratch is challenging but also super exciting."

Catch Bo Nickal's comments below:

Currently No. 1 in college wrestling, Penn State secured a 23-14 victory over No. 2 Iowa on Friday. Penn State standout Roman Bravo-Young pinned former teammate Brody Teske to extend the Nittany Lions' winning streak to 39.

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Bo Nickal is set to make his UFC debut

Bo Nickal earned his UFC contract with back-to-back first-round submission wins in Dana White's contender series last year. The former NCAA champ was subsequently booked for a clash against Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 in December.

'The Allen Assassin', who has previously called out Israel Adesanya and Khamzat Chimaev, even threatened retirement if denied a main card spot at UFC 282. However, the matchup never came to fruition as Nickal was forced out due to injury concerns.

The fight has now been rebooked in a main card slot for UFC 285 which is scheduled to go down at the T-Mobile arena on March 4.

Pickett is currently on a two-fight skid and holds an unimpressive 3-6 UFC record. However, 'The Night Wolf' dismisses the idea of being offered as a sacrificial lamb to Bo Nickal. Pickett said in a previous interview with MMA News:

“I try not to say cocky stuff, but I have a very good chance of winning this fight. He could win for sure, he definitely could win, and I definitely could win, but I think I’m going to win this fight…I didn’t take this fight as a sacrificial lamb…. that’s not how I look at it."

Catch Pickett's comments below: