What Bo Nickal's Wrestling-to-MMA Journey Teaches Every Grappler Starting From Scratch

Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27

Who Bo Nickal Is

Bo Nickal is one of the most decorated wrestlers to transition into professional MMA in recent memory. At Penn State, he was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and was awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's most outstanding collegiate wrestler in 2019. In freestyle wrestling, he won the 2019 U23 World Championship and reached the finals of the US Olympic Team Trials.

He transitioned to MMA with a competitive record that now stands at 5-1 as of his first-round TKO victory over Kyle Daukaus at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026. His only UFC loss came in May 2025 by TKO, and he bounced back with a first-round finish at UFC 322 in November 2025 before continuing with the Freedom 250 win.

Alongside his UFC career, Nickal signed with Real American Freestyle in 2026, continuing to compete in freestyle wrestling while active as a professional mixed martial artist.

When the Wrestler Walked Into a BJJ Class

Nickal has described his entry into BJJ as casual. He went to a class as a wrestler with no particular goal in mind, and found that the positional problem-solving of jiu-jitsu engaged him in ways that surprised him. He has since trained consistently and holds a BJJ blue belt.

His experience is a familiar one. Wrestlers who cross-train in jiu-jitsu often find that their base in takedowns and positional control gives them a quick path to competence, while jiu-jitsu expands their toolkit from control into submissions. The combination is precisely what 10th Planet's no-gi system is designed to develop: takedown entry, back takes, leg locks, and submission chains from positions that wrestling already places you in.

What His UFC Style Demonstrates

Watch a Bo Nickal fight and you see the wrestling-to-MMA blueprint clearly. He uses takedown entries to establish top position, uses that position to generate ground-and-pound, and is developing the submission game to complement the pressure. His Daukaus finish at Freedom 250 followed exactly this script: takedown attempt, positional pressure, and strikes after the positional situation was established.

The larger point is durability and base. Nickal does not need to finish cleanly every time because his wrestling base gives him control that limits what opponents can do. In the gym context, that base matters for beginners too. Learning to be comfortable in control positions, to not panic when someone is on top of you, to understand where the dangerous moments are, that is the foundation of any useful grappling skill.

The Lesson for Grapplers at Every Level

Nickal's path from high school wrestling through college dominance to the UFC illustrates a principle that applies at every level: grappling skill compounds. Every hour on the mat builds on the last, whether you are a beginner learning your first guard pass or an NCAA champion adding a rear-naked choke to your game.

You do not need wrestling credentials to start. Every top grappler in the world began as a beginner. The gyms in our directory, including 10th Planet affiliates built around the no-gi system that best prepares people for practical grappling, teach the same foundational positions that Nickal trains. Use the directory to find one near you and book a free trial class.

6 Things Nickal's Career Teaches Beginners About Starting Grappling

You are not Bo Nickal. But the principles behind his development apply at the beginning of anyone's grappling journey.

1. Base is built, not given: Nickal's wrestling base came from years of daily training starting in high school. Your base builds the same way, one class at a time. Starting is the only prerequisite.
2. Cross-training expands your game: Nickal went to a BJJ class as an accomplished wrestler and found it gave him new tools. A beginner who walks into their first no-gi class is doing the same thing at the starting point.
3. Your existing athleticism transfers: Whatever physical qualities you have, balance, strength, coordination, apply immediately on the mat. Wrestling athletes find jiu-jitsu builds on their base; everyone else builds a base that carries over to everything else.
4. Positional control comes before submissions: Nickal's submissions are improving, but he finishes with pressure and strikes because his control game is elite. Beginners learn positions and control before they learn to submit -- in the right order.
5. Losses are information, not failure: Nickal's only UFC loss came in May 2025. He came back with a finish four months later. Tapping in the gym or losing a match in competition tells you what to fix. That is how the sport develops you.
6. You do not have to be athletic to start: The positions and concepts in jiu-jitsu work through leverage and technique. The most efficient practitioners in any gym are usually not the most athletic. They are the ones with the most mat time.

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