Penn State wrestling great Bo Nickal scores UFC KO, announces baby on way with Hempfield grad wife

Former Penn State wrestler Bo Nickal improved to 5-0 with a 38-second knockout at UFC 290 on Saturday night, but rising in the ranks of MMA isn’t the goal foremost on his mind these days.

“I’m a husband. I’m also going to be a father soon. My wife is pregnant,” Nickal said in his postfight interview. “It’s really cool to knock people out in the Octogon. I just did it. It’s really cool, but it’s even cooler to be a good husband and a good dad and that’s what’s most important to me in life.”

Nickal’s wife is the former Maddie Holmberg, a Hempfield graduate and three-time track and field All-American at Penn State.

Nickal faced Val Woodburn (7-1) in a middleweight bout. Woodburn took the fight on short notice after Tresean Gore pulled out with an injury.

Nickal was a three-time national champion wrestler at Penn State, but he used his hands to obliterate Woodburn in the first round, stunning him with a right and flooring him with a left before the referee stopped the fight.

“For me, the biggest concern was whether I was going to get the fight or not, just because I wanted to fight so bad,” Nickal said. “I put in 10 long weeks of training camp and had 50 people out here, and I want to perform so bad. When they got an opponent, got somebody to sign the contract, I was all in and ready to go.”

Nickal is considered one of the top prospects in MMA, and the next logical move for him is a step up in competition. He said his immediate plans include bow hunting for elk before returning to the Octogon, where he said he would take on any opponent the UFC sends his way.

“I’m so young in my career and I have so much room to develop in striking and grappling, even in wrestling,” Nickal said. “Even though I’ve wrestled for 20 years, I still think I’m getting better in wrestling. I just want to keep improving as a fighter every day.”

In the meantime, Nickal has plans to work on his dad game.

“I’m having a son, and I’m just so excited about that,” Nickal said. “I have three sisters, so it’s kind of nice to add a boy to the mix in the family. I’m just going to do my best, same as I do with fighting, same as I did with wrestling or whatever. I’m just going to do my best. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot to learn, but I’m excited for the journey. I feel ready. I’m just grateful I have an amazing wife to share the journey with.”