"Not bad for an IT guy" - Surprising new opponent claims he's facing Bo Nickal at UFC 302, management reportedly denies 

There has been speculation that Bo Nickal would face a new opponent at UFC 302.

The opponent mentioned above is Jacob Malkoun, who recently took to social media to state that he and Nickal had reached an agreement to square off at the pay-per-view on June 1:

''Thanks for Mick Maynard making this fight happen. Respect to @nobickal1 and his team for accepting the fight, going to be a good test but I’m ready. Not bad for an IT guy''

However, according to MMA reporter Alex Behunin, Nickal's management reportedly denied the news:

''I reached out to Bo Nickal’s management and a fight with Jacob Malkoun has not been signed or discussed''

Nickal is a fantastic addition to the middleweight division in the UFC. Just six fights into his professional career in the sport, his success has been greatly attributed to his world-class grappling and ever-improving striking.

Although many people disliked him being on the main card of the historic UFC 300, Nickal (6-0) maintained his perfect finish record with a submission victory against Cody Brundage.

Even though Nickal gave a strong performance, the crowd occasionally booed him during the fight. It was the first time in his mixed martial arts career that an opponent had survived the opening frame.

Meanwhile, Malkoun lost to Brundage at UFC Vegas 79 via disqualification following an illegal elbow strike that prematurely ended the bout. However, he got back to the win column after a second-round knockout against Andre Petroski at UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot.

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Bo Nickal wants Anthony Hernandez next

At UFC 300, Bo Nickal opened the main card against Cody Brundage. He went past the three-minute mark and into the second round for the first time in his mixed martial arts career.

Even though it took him longer than usual to win, Nickal eventually prevailed convincingly by submission. He then called out Anthony Hernandez during the post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan.

During the post-fight press conference, Nickal explained why he opted to call out the UFC's No.12-ranked middleweight:

''I just think that would be a fun fight, a great fight, He’s a guy that has great cardio, wrestling, good striking – he’s well-rounded and got a big win in his last fight. Very shortly, if it’s not my next fight, it will be soon, but that’s the type of guys I want to be fighting.''

Check out Bo Nickal's comments below (5:56):