While the bulk of this week’s UFC 285 prefight talk has been centered on the heavily anticipated Octagon return of all-time great Jon Jones, the card also features the promotional debut of a man who believes his future holds similar accolades: Bo Nickal.
“My goals are always the most, like, almost unattainable, unreachable, highest type of goals you can achieve,” Nickal said at Wednesday’s media day at the UFC Apex. “Going into college, it was to be a four-time, undefeated national champion, and now going into MMA, I want to be the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world, and so I definitely envision myself getting to this point.”
Nickal didn’t quite achieve those dreams in his college wrestling career, but he came awfully close, earning three national championships and one runner-up finish during his run at Penn State, amassing an astounding record of 135–5 along the way. His senior year, he was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s best wrestler.
