Bo Nickal lived up to the hype as he won his UFC debut by tapping out Jamie Pickett in the opening round.
Nickal, 27, had a moment to forget with the first strike he threw in the UFC 285 clash as the unbeaten prospect slipped on his bum after missing a head kick. Nickal got straight back to his feet and shot for a takedown as Pickett charged towards him, with the college wrestling champion taking the UFC veteran to the ground but seemingly landing an accidental groind strike whilst doing so.
Pickett quickly found himself in a vulnerable position on the ground as Nickal was searching for a submission. The 27-year-old passed Pickett's guard and locked up an arm-triangle choke, but the submission was not firmly in and Pickett was able to survive. Nickal held onto the submission for several minutes and his efforts paid off as he squeezed it tight enough to force the tap from Pickett to win his UFC debut.
