Bo Nickal Withdraws From UFC Debut at UFC 282 Due to Injury

A blazing-hot Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect is going to need to cool things down to heal up.

According to MMA Junkie on Friday, Bo Nickal (3-0) will no longer be competing at UFC 282 on Dec. 10. His middleweight match against Jamie Pickett (12-8) has been nixed from the event due to an injury Nickal suffered during training. It is unclear at this time if Pickett will be rebooked against a new opponent, or if the matchup will be preserved. The organization is considering March 4 for Nickal’s return, which is rumored to be the pay-per-view offering of UFC 285. The fight scratch has since been confirmed by other outlets.

Nickal, oft-discussed as one of the greatest collegiate wrestlers ever, surged into MMA in 2021 with a pair of speedy finishes on the amateur circuit. The Colorado-born Nickal then debuted as pro in June 2022 on iKon Fighting Championship 3, where he decimated John Noland in 33 seconds. The 26-year-old, with one pro win under his belt, joined the 2022 season of Dana White's Contender Series, and he ran roughshod over Zachary Borrego in 62 seconds to get another shot on DWCS nearly two months later. A 52-second triangle choke of Donovan Beard punched his ticket to the promotion, with only 2:07 of combined professional MMA experience under his belt.

While Nickal has surged, Pickett has struggled as of late, dropping his last two this year by stoppage to Kyle Daukaus and Denis Tiuliulin. “The Nightwolf” also made his way to the UFC from a Contender Series victory, although it took him three tries to get there – Pickett fell short to Charles Byrd on the very first DWCS episode, and then returned on the first episode of Season 3 to lose to Punahele Soriano as well. A knockout of Jhonoven Pati proved enough to earn a contract, although he has amassed just two wins inside the Octagon over Laureano Staropoli and Joseph Holmes opposite four defeats.

UFC 282 will carry on at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 10, with a light heavyweight championship headliner and rematch in tow between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira. The remainder of the lineup has not yet been made official, but expected main card tilts include a heavyweight rumble between Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, a 205-pound affair pitting former champ Jan Blachowicz against rising talent Magomed Ankalaev, and pairing of Darren Till vs. Dricus Du Plessis at middleweight.