One of the most anticipated debuts in UFC history will have to wait.
According to MMAFighting.com, former Penn State three-time NCAA champion wrestler Bo Nickal is no longer set to face Jamie Pickett in his Ulitmate Fighting Championship debut at UFC 282 in December, with Nickal suffering an injury.
The fight will now likely take place in early 2023, per MMAFighting.com.
Nickal has been the talk of mixed-martial arts for much of this year, winning two Dana White’s Contender Series bouts in the first round via submission en route to earning a contract with the top promotion in the world despite only having three professional fights to his name.
The grappler has been deemed by the likes of former UFC champions Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo to be one of the best prospects the sport has ever seen, as there has never been a three-time NCAA national champion wrestler to compete in the sport.
And Nickal has not tried to temper expectations, making proclamations that his goal is to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and that he believes he could beat current UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya right now.
But Nittany Lion fans and Nickal himself will have to wait now for the journey to start.
The company is targeting March 4 for his new date, with Pickett still expected to be the opponent.
