UFC middleweight contender Bo Nickal is currently undertaking what he describes as the most significant weight cut of his professional career ahead of his next fight.
The acclaimed wrestling talent turned mixed martial arts prospect is set to return to the octagon this Saturday. He will compete against former ONE Championship titleholder Reiner de Ridder in the co-main event at UFC Des Moines.
Nickal garnered significant attention earlier this week following an Instagram post which revealed he began his fight week at a hefty 222.6 pounds. The former Penn State standout was questioned whether this disclosed weight was accurate or a tactic of psychological gamesmanship leading into arguably his most challenging opponent to date.
“A major focus of my training camp over these recent months has been to increase my overall size,” Nickal commented. “I felt it was important to concentrate on raising my weight slightly to make sure I am a full-sized middleweight fighter. Therefore, showing up at that weight is simply part of my profession. I am accustomed to the process of reducing weight.”
He added, “With my background in wrestling, I have made weight literally hundreds of times since I was a young athlete, so it is essentially business as usual for me. That particular weight was definitely a bit higher than what I am typically used to, but it`s just part of the work. No concerns there.”
Nickal further clarified regarding the specific weigh-in picture, “It was slightly heavier than I had anticipated, and I was dressed in a hoodie and similar items, so the actual number registered on the scale was a little less than what was displayed. Nevertheless, in that moment, I was aware that I had a lot of work ahead of me, but again, that is just inherent to the job.”
Nickal is coming off a victory on the pay-per-view main card against Paul Craig last November at UFC 309 in New York City. That event was notably attended by former President Donald Trump.
The 29-year-old was directly asked if this upcoming weight cut would be the largest he has undertaken during his relatively brief tenure in professional MMA.
“It is definitively the biggest cut I`ve had for a fight,” Nickal confirmed. “I am consistently aiming to make adjustments and ensure that with each training camp and cycle, I am improving and developing further. I believe adding more size is beneficial for my performance.”
The fighter, who trains with American Top Team, boasts an undefeated professional record of 4 wins and 0 losses inside the octagon since earning his promotional contract through Dana White’s Contender Series. Nickal also participated in the historic UFC 300 event in April 2024, where he defeated Cody Brundage via submission in the second round.
When questioned for an update on his current weight reduction progress midway through the week, Nickal opted to keep the specific details private.
“Let`s just state that I am now lighter than I was earlier this week,” Nickal remarked. “Yes, I am no longer at that initial weight.”
