Bo Nickal has UFC debut scheduled, will fight Jamie Pickett at UFC 282
The freight-train pace of Bo Nickal and his MMA career continues to keep racing and he’s now set to make his UFC debut. Just two days after he secured his contract with the UFC following his second win on Contender Series this year, Nickal has his first fight scheduled in the UFC to come later this year. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was first to report that Nickal will face Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 on December 10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Well. That didn’t take long. Less than two days removed from Contender Series, Bo Nickal has his UFC debut. Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas, per the UFC. pic.twitter.com/je4qRbMO85
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 29, 2022
After spending a total time of 1 minute and 54 seconds in his two appearances on Contender Series, Bo Nickal was signed to the UFC this week in the final episode of the 2022 Contender Series season. He wasted no time in looking to make his impact in the middleweight division, taking aim at rising superstar Khamzat Chimaev for a middleweight fight, or a match against Logan Paul in the WWE. The UFC had other plans for Nickal, booking him on the final PPV of the calendar year.
Nickal is 3-0 in his professional MMA career but comes with a grocery list of accolades on his resume in wrestling which has transitioned flawlessly into a fast-rising start to his fighting career. There had been discussion on who could be the first fight for Nickal’s UFC debut, even with former welterweight title challenger Darren Till taking to social media about a potential future fight between the two.
Jamie Pickett is also a former Contender Series alum, who has made three appearances on the show, two which came as losses in 2017 and 2019, and one in 2020 which he won and secured his contract with the UFC. Since then, he has gone 2-4 in the promotion, with the last losses coming against Denis Tiuliulin at UFC 279 earlier this month, and a first-round submission loss to Kyle Daukaus in February.
A win against Pickett not only keeps Bo Nickal busy to close out the 2022 year, but depending on how the fight plays out, could see him take another fight in the early portion of 2023 if all goes well. For Pickett, defeating Nickal would definitely turnaround his standing with the UFC and put a halt on the rising stock of Nickal.
It’s not the test of a top-15 opponent that Bo Nickal was targeting, but it does keep him active and in front of the UFC audience as he looks to continue to grow his star power.
Here is the UFC 282 lineup as currently scheduled:
- Jiri Prochazka vs Glover Teixeira
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Robbie Lawler
- Darren Till vs Dricus Du Plessis
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Chris Daukaus
- Bo Nickal vs Jamie Pickett
- Chris Curtis vs Joaquin Buckley
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs Dalcha Lungiambula
- Billy Quarantillo vs Alexander Hernandez
- Erik Silva vs TJ Brown
- Daniel da Silva vs Vinicius Slavador
