Penn State Wrestling legend Bo Nickal to make professional MMA debut

Former Penn State Nittany Lion wrestler, Bo Nickal, is set to make his professional MMA debut on June 3rd.

“This is what we do.”

Those words will forever be linked to Cael Sanderson, Nittany Lion wrestling, and all-time Penn State great Bo Nickal.

Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion and winner of the 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy, backed up those words by putting together dominant performance after dominant performance on the mat in college. And this continued when Bo turned his sights to the world of freestyle wrestling as he took gold in both the 2019 US National Champions (92 kg) and the U23 World Championships (92 kg).

Well now he’s trying to dominant another mat. This one of the octagon variety.

Following the 2020 US Olympic Trials, Bo threw his hat in the MMA ring and participated in two amateur rights. A submission win against David Conley on 9/24/21 and a KO win against Billy Goode on 11/5/21.

But that was just the appetizer …

Those are some pretty strong words coming from Nickal, but what else would you expect?

Bo Nickal has made a career out of taking names and kicking butt. And it appears John Noland (goes by John Conner) will be the next in line.

Just like Bo, Noland will also be making his professional debut as he previously appeared in nine matches as an amateur and compiled a 6-3 record.

And I’m pretty sure no matter the outcome, the match will be a fun and exciting one to watch. Because seriously, how many Bo Nickal matches haven’t been incredible?

This match is a part of the Jorge Masvidal iKon Fighting Federation and will be held on June 3 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Virginia. Penn State fans will also have the option to watch the event on the UFC Fight Pass stream.