UFC's Bo Nickal signs with Hulk Hogan's Real American Freestyle wrestling promotion
On Wednesday, it was announced that Nickal has signed on with fledgling Real American Freestyle, a professional freestyle wrestling organization with WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Israel Martinez at the helm.
"Bo Nickal is a tremendous athlete and one of the most accomplished wrestlers on the planet,' Hogan, commissioner of Real American Freestyle, said in a statement. 'Nickal immediately elevates the RAF roster to new heights with his competitiveness and experience. When fans attend an RAF event they know they're going to see the best of the best on the mat.'
Nickal, 29, was a three-time collegiate national champion wrestler at Penn State, making him a highly touted prospect when he transitioned to MMA in 2021. After two amateur fights, Nickal turned professional and earned his way on the UFC roster through Dana White's Contender Series. He made his UFC debut in March 2023 and won his first four fights before suffering his first defeat this past May, a TKO loss to former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder.
On Wednesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Nickal explained he he'll manage competing both for the UFC and Real American Freestyle.
"At the end of the day, my contract with the UFC, I'm going to be fighting with MMA with them and then I think at the same time there's room for me to compete in wrestling," Nickal said. "You see a lot of guys do jiu-jitsu matches or wherever it is. I just have the fire in me to compete as much as I can and realistically with fighting, I've been getting two fights a year. I think that's going to be the trend, which is fine with me. But I'm 29 years old in my prime, and I'm just fired up to compete. The thing about a wrestling match is it's so different from a fight in the preparation. I could step on the mat right now with no warmup and compete with the best guys in the world."
Real American Freestyle is scheduled to host its inaugural event Aug. 30 in Cleveland. Nickal expects to make his debut on that date.
According to a press release, Real American Freestyle seeks "to provide an opportunity for the best athletes to compete and showcase their talent."
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