Penn State wrestling legend Bo Nickal is ready for his mixed martial arts debut.
Nickal announced Thursday he’ll take part in his first professional MMA fight next week, matching up against David Conley on Friday, Sept. 24.
The fight will stream exclusively on FITE, a platform that regularly broadcasts professional wrestling and MMA matches. His debut will broadcast as part of FITE’s 8 p.m. program.
Nickal won three national and Big Ten titles at Penn State, and after hanging up his collegiate singlet in 2019 he signed a deal with First Round Management to launch his MMA career.
He partnered with top MMA organization American Top Team on a Happy Valley branch and opened the new gym in Pleasant Gap this summer. American Top Team Happy Valley serves both as a training center for a team that includes Nickal and fellow Nittany Lion NCAA champ Anthony Cassar, and as community resource offering a variety of classes.
Nickal said community support was essential in launching his MMA career and working to bring a new training gym to the Centre region.
“I want to go back to the support the community has given me since I first got here to Penn State,” Nickal said. “I wouldn’t be able to do the things I did and now moving onto a new chapter of my life with MMA, being able to get this gym put together [without it]. I appreciate the support y’all have given me so much and I’m looking forward to competing and continuing to build this area up.”
At the Pleasant Gap gym, Nickal has been training under the tutelage of coach and two-time jiu-jitsu world champion Marcel Ferreira, who was one of American Top Team’s first MMA fighters, and striking coach Adaylton Freitas, a three-time world Muay Thai champion.
After hooking up with American Top Team, Nickal trained with Jorge Masvidal last year to help the UFC welterweight contender prepare for a title bout against Kamaru Usman.
StateCollege.com editor Geoff Rushton contributed to this story.
