Penn State great, UFC fighter Bo Nickal makes major career move

Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal is making a major career move. Nickal is joining Hulk Hogan’s Real American Freestyle wrestling, it was announced on Wednesday.

He is set to compete with Real American Freestyle for the first time on Aug. 30 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Bo Nickal joined The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday to discuss the decision.

“The news is I’m going to be pursuing something new, pursuing something different that’s maybe a little bit foreign to a lot of the MMA fans that listen to this show,” Bo Nickal said. “There’s this lesser-known sport called wrestling, it’s a really great base for professional MMA, and I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and be doing some professional wrestling matches with Real American Freestyle.”

Real American Freestyle says on its website that its mission is to “Professionalize competitive wrestling and create a platform for elite athletes to compete in front of millions of fans.”

It is the first unscripted pro wrestling league in the world.

“Wrestling has always been about grit, sacrifice and raw determination. But for too long, athletes who give everything to the sport have not had an opportunity to pursue professional careers,” the website adds. “Real American Freestyle was built to change that — to provide a platform for the best wrestlers in the world.”

Hulk Hogan, former WCW executive Eric Bischoff, and wrestling coach Israel Martinez partnered to form Real American Freestyle.

Hogan, who is the commissioner of the league, released a statement on Wednesday announcing that Nickal is on board.

“Bo Nickal is a tremendous athlete and one of the most accomplished wrestlers on the planet,” Hogan said in a statement. “Nickal immediately elevates the RAF roster to new heights with his competitiveness and experience. When fans attend an RAF event they know they’re going to see the best of the best on the mat.”

Several matches are already set for the Aug. 30 event.

Nickal spoke with Ariel Helwani about his future with UFC and how him joining Real American Freestyle came about.

“Well, at the end of the day, my contract with the UFC, I’m going to be fighting MMA with them, and I think at the same time there’s room for me to compete in wrestling,” Nickal said. “I just have the fire in me to compete as much as I can.

“I’m 29 years old, in my prime, and I’m just fired up to compete.”

Nickal won three national championships in wrestling during his time at Penn State and also won the under 23 world championship in 2019.

He competed at Penn State from 2016-19, winning three Big Ten titles during his college career, in addition to his three national titles.

Nickal has a 7-1 record fighting in the UFC. He most recently suffered his first loss when competing against Reinier de Ridder in May.