Bo Nickal ‘Not a Hater in Any Way’ on Raul Rosas Jr. Earning UFC Deal Before Him

If anyone has a right to be bitter about 17-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. Jr. securing a UFC contract on his first Dana White’s Contender Series appearance, it’s Bo Nickal.

After all Nickal is a three-time NCAA national champion wrestler at Penn State University, won an under-23 world championship and was a finalist at the 2020 U.S. Olympic team trials. As one of the most highly-touted prospects in recent memory, Nickal rolled through Zachary Borrego on Week 3 of the Contender Series, winning via submission in 62 seconds. And yet, UFC president Dana White needed to see more.

“I don’t know what else he could have done to look any better. He looked incredible. The only reason I didn’t sign him tonight is because he’s 2-0 now,” White said after the fight. “We got eight more weeks of this. Why not have him fight here again, you know what I mean? It just makes sense.”

It would seem that Nickal’s credentials would far surpass that of someone like Rosas Jr., who is 6-0 in MMA but didn’t earn a notable victory until he outpointed Mando Gutierrez on the Contender Series last week. Nickal isn’t concerned about anyone’s progress but his own, and he had nothing but praise for Rosas Jr.’s achievement.

“Everybody is on their own trajectory. Good for him," Nickal told ESPN. "That's a cool accomplishment for him, to be the youngest fighter on the roster. But I have a different plan for myself and where I'm headed. So what others do in the sport doesn't affect me. If other people have success, I'm not a hater in any way. Go ahead and do your thing.”

Nickal will return to action against Cage Fury Fighting Championships title holder Donovan Beard on Tuesday night in at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Another impressive performance would seemingly assure him of receiving a shot in the UFC. Even if he does, Nickal has bigger goals in mind.

"I'm not here to get a UFC contract," Nickal said. "I'm here to be UFC champion, the No. 1 fighter in the world. That's what's on the horizon for me.”

Nickal is not a wrestler who’s getting into MMA just to make some extra money. On the contrary, he’s always been a fan of the sport.

"You'd see this huge arena filled with fans, people cheering, all the lights," Nickal said. "The whole atmosphere was such a cool thing for me to watch. I used to envision myself making that walk.”

Nickal, who trains at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., told ESPN that he hopes to make his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night in Orlando on Dec. 3. Whenever his first UFC appearance occurs, don’t expect Nickal to stray too far from his bread-and-butter.

"There have been some great wrestlers in MMA, but sometimes I've seen them abandon their wrestling and get into brawls. That's not going to be me," Nickal said. "Anybody I fight for the rest of my career has to be prepared for a wrestling match. Whoever I go against, I can grab them and throw them to the ground anytime I want to. So that's something that every single guy should be prepared for. For me, I'm sticking with my roots, and I believe that's the path that will make me No. 1 in the sport."