Bo Nickal did not need to lean on his wrestling against Val Woodburn.
Nickal (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) showed off his hands when he rocked and dropped Woodburn (7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in just 38 seconds on Saturday. The middleweight bout opened up the UFC 290 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Nickal stunned Woodburn with a right hook, followed by a left hook, then an uppercut that dropped the octagon newcomer. One follow-up shot is all Nickal needed to end the fight in spectacular fashion.
ANOTHER FIRST ROUND FINISH FOR BO NICKAL 💪 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/IgyYBglxnV
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 9, 2023
Nickal has finished all five of his professional wins in the first round. Woodburn, who stepped in on less than a week’s notice, suffered his first-career loss.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:
- Bo Nickal vs. Val Woodburn
- Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
- Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:55
- Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:42
- Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
- Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:17
- Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
