"Had to get a sub-60-sec finish" - Bo Nickal sheds light on Dana White not signing him despite quick submission of Zachary Borrego

Bo Nickal was one of the most promising NCAA wrestlers in the last few years, and he made his way to Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS). On week three of season 6, he captured the MMA world's attention with a dominant victory over Zachary Borrego. He managed to submit his opponent just one minute and three seconds into the first round but could not secure a UFC contract.

Amy Kaplan tweeted about how White not signing Nickal after his stoppage victory was something fans did not understand. The NCAA Division I National Standout explained why he could not secure the contract:

"Had to get a sub 60 sec finish or I wasn’t getting signed"

It seems there was a prior agreement between Bo Nickal and Dana White which stated that the wrestler had to submit Borrego within 60 seconds to get himself a contract. Since he took over a minute, the UFC president did not offer him a contract. However, in his second and final shot at DWCS, he was able to secure a contract and signed with the company in September this year.

Nickal was set to make his highly-awaited debut this year at UFC 282 against Jamie Pickett. However, the fight was called off due to an undisclosed injury to the American prospect. His debut fight will now be pushed to 2023.

Take a look at the tweet:

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Bo Nickal details how he will beat Khamzat Chimaev

Bo Nickal is high on confidence, with one dominant display after the other. The wrestler is extremely confident in his ability to hold his own against the best wrestlers in the division. While talking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, he was asked whether he thinks he can beat Khamzat Chimaev despite the fact that he has still not made his debut in the UFC yet. He replied saying:

"For sure, I wouldn't have asked for it in an interview if I didn't believe it. For me, is that fight gonna happen realistically? No. They want him to be the champ, they want to build him up and they want to build me up too, so if you're looking at it from a professional perspective, that's not the fight to make right now."

He added:

"I'm gonna drag him down to the ground and do exactly what he does to all these strikers. And I'm gonna do it to him because I'm a real grappler I come from real wrestling"

Bo Nickal believes he has what it takes to submit Khamzat Chimaev by way of ground and pound. Chimaev has made a name for himself with his explosive grappling and ground and pound, which has seen him dispatch a number of top-level UFC fighters.

Take a look at the video: