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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Matthew Wells and Ken Hathaway

Dana White explains why Bo Nickal was not given UFC contract after looking ‘incredible’ at DWCS

LAS VEGAS – UFC president Dana White believes in Bo Nickal’s abilities as a fighter, but still wasn’t ready to give him a UFC contract on Tuesday evening.

In the feature bout of Dana White’s Contender Series 49, Nickal stepped into the cage for the second time as a professional fighter and made quick work of his opponent Zack Borrego, tapping him with a rear-naked choke in just over a minute.

Typically, that sort of performance is almost a guarantee for a UFC contract on DWCS, however, Nickal’s lack of experience as a pro gave White pause when it came time to issue contracts at the end of the show.

“He’s 1-0, 2-0 now, fought a kid that was 3-0, made it look really easy,” White told reporters including MMA Junkie at the post-fight news conference. “Let’s get him one more fight and let’s test him. (If he) Gets past that with flying colors, we bring him in and we give him a fight in the UFC.

I think only one guy has come in at like 1-0 and did anything and I think it was Brock (Lesnar), and to be honest with you, I don’t remember. Brock was something like that. So, yeah, he’s a stud.”

Nickal entered his DWCS bout with a lot of hype given his credentials as a three-time NCAA Division I champion wrestler. That decorated background is one of the main reasons he was given the opportunity to compete for a shot at the UFC after only one professional bout.

“I don’t know what else he could have done to look any better,” White said. “He looked incredible. The only reason I didn’t sign him tonight is because he’s 2-0 now. … We got eight more weeks of this. Why not have him fight here again, you know what I mean? It just makes sense.”

Instead of extending a UFC contract to Nickal, White will bring Nickal back for a second fight on DWCS later this season. According to White, if he wins the second fight, he will be a UFC middleweight.

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