Nickal runs through Pickett for 1st-round submission in UFC debut
Bo Nickal made a huge statement in his highly anticipated UFC debut.
The middleweight prospect submitted Jamie Pickett with an arm triangle at the 2:54 mark of the first round on the UFC 285 main card Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Nickal secured a takedown in less than a minute and quickly took Pickett's back. He moved to an arm triangle, and though it took a while to fully sink in the choke, Nickal eventually forced the tap. It was the longest fight of his professional MMA career.
The 27-year-old is one of the brightest, most hyped prospects to grace the Octagon in years. He is a three-time Division-I national champion in folkstyle wrestling and a three-time Big Ten conference champion at Penn State. He was a -1800 betting favorite to beat Pickett.
"You bet your ass I'm getting the belt and I'm going to be the pound-for-pound best fighter by the time my career is done," Nickal said in his postfight interview.
Nickal made his pro-MMA debut just last June, scoring a knockout win in 33 seconds. Then, he competed twice on Dana White's Contender Series later in 2022, earning two submission victories in 62 and 52 seconds, respectively. Nickal, who trains at American Top Team in Florida, is now 4-0 as a pro.
With the loss, Pickett, 34, is riding a three-fight skid and is 2-5 in the Octagon overall. He has competed as a pro 22 times.