Penn State wrestling great Bo Nickal’s next MMA fight will come in Dana White’s Contender Series, which is produced by the UFC. Nickal’s opponent will be Zachary Borrego (3-0) on the series’ August 9 episode.

Dana White’s Contender Series hosts a series of fights with athletes without preexisting UFC contracts. Named after UFC founder and current CEO Dana White, the series oftentimes places participants on the main UFC roster after significant showings.

Nickal’s inclusion in Dana White’s Contender Series was rumored for weeks before Nickal himself retweeted multiple reports and confirmed the arrangement in an interview with MMA Junkie. As of June 29, Nickal has been a member of UFC’s online roster page.

Despite only having his first professional MMA fight in June, the Nittany Lion legend was deemed an attractive enough candidate for a more intense spotlight. Nickal’s vicious knockout win 33 seconds into his fight against John Noland set the MMA world alight.

“THAT’S WHAT WE DO!”

Bo Nickal secured a first-round knockout in his professional MMA debut
pic.twitter.com/ixwJkMZzPT

— Onward State (@OnwardState) June 4, 2022

Since then, Nickal has earned praise from MMA commentators and UFC legends alike. Current UFC competitor Jorge Masvidal said Nickal will eventually end up as a world champion, in an interview with Sportskeeda.

“He’s going to be the type of guy to take you down once, and that’s all she wrote, you know?” Masvidal said. “I work with him a lot, from all the wrestling he’s just like this dense f***ing little white gorilla. He hits, it hurts, man.”

If Nickal ends up earning a spot on the UFC’s roster, he would become the first Nittany Lion in the organization since Phil Davis in 2014.

Dana White’s Contender Series’ first slate of fights is set to begin on July 26. The entire series will be televised on ESPN+.