Bo Nickal Knocks Out Kyle Daukaus In First Round At UFC Freedom 250
Bo Nickal continues to impress in the octagon, folks.
The Penn State wrestling legend got back in the cage on Sunday night at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn in Washington, D.C. He took it right to Kyle Daukaus, winning via TKO in the first round after just four minutes and 33 seconds.
Nickal improves to 9-1 in his UFC career, while Daukaus falls to 17-5 with a no-contest.
How It Happened
The Penn State alum, who continues to fight out of State College, had an incredible walk-out to set the tone for this match. In a unique twist, the U.S. Marine Band, which provided the music for all fighters’ walk-out songs, played Zombie Nation for Nickal’s entrance.
It didn’t take long for Nickal, a -325 favorite, to go to work on his bread and butter. After a quiet first 20 seconds, the three-time national champion wrestler delivered a beautiful takedown that pinned Daukaus right on his back, putting him on the defensive in a heartbeat.
The next two minutes saw Nickal methodically wear down his opponent, cutting Daukaus with sharp elbows to the forehead and fighting off the submission specialist’s attempts to turn the tables from bottom. After the action ground to a halt towards the edge of the cage, the referee stood both fighters up as they headed towards the final minute of the period.
Knowing that he was undoubtedly on the losing end of the first round of a three-round fight, Daukaus got more aggressive over the next 30 seconds, but in turn, absorbed some big blows.
Nickal had him wobbling as the clock struck 30 seconds to go in the period, and hit a nasty one-two combo to drop him to the ground, finishing him off with a barrage of right elbows before the referee stopped the match with 27 seconds to go in the opening period.
It’s just Nickal’s fourth win by knockout and his third via his striking ability. His only other win in that regard on a major UFC card was against Val Woodburn at UFC 290 in July 2023.
What’s Next?
Nickal has a very strong chance of joining the top 15 rankings at the middleweight division and could be in line to fight some bigger names later in future pay-per-view cards, as he’s looked incredibly impressive in his last two fights following last year’s setback against Reinier de Ridder.
Your ad blocker is on.
Please choose an option below.
Purchase a Subscription!
About the Author
Four-Star Defensive Lineman Elijah Guertin Commits To Penn State Football
Guertin is the No. 1 player in Rhode Island.
Comparing World Cup Teams To Penn State Athletic Programs
Unfortunately Penn State football… you are the English National Team.
Penn State Baseball’s Michael Anderson Named Rawlings/ABCA First-Team All-American
For the first time in 26 years, a Nittany Lion is a First-Team All-American.