By the time Bo Nickal steps into UFC 322 on Saturday, fans will know him as the three-time NCAA champion, and the middleweight contender chasing another big moment. But long before the bright lights, before the Olympic trials and the UFC call, there was a kid born in Rifle, Colorado, shaped by a family that lived and breathed sports.

So who exactly is Bo Nickal behind the accolades? And how did his roots set him up for greatness? To understand that, we start with the simplest piece of the puzzle, where he comes from.

Where Is Bo Nickal From? Ethnicity & Nationality

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal was born on January 14, 1996, in Rifle, Colorado, United States. He was born to parents Jason and Sandy Nickal, who are both Americans, making Nickal an American too by ethnicity. His parents were both great athletes in their own right. His father played football and wrestling in college, and his mother played basketball at a collegiate level for San Diego State.

Nickal has three brothers, Jordan, Lexis, and Shelby, who have all had their fair share of sports coaching from their parents. However, it was Bo Nickal who ended up finding the most success in his respective sport of wrestling. And that takes us to the people who influenced him the most, his parents.

How did Bo Nickal start wrestling?

Bo Nickal started his wrestling practice by the age of 6 in Wyoming, and later moved to New Mexico when Bo was in 5th grade, when his father took a job as Head Wrestling Coach of Rio Rancho High School. It was in high school that he started showing his talents on the mat. Nickal made several great inroads in his wrestling career. 

In high school, he won the 1st Place Texas State Championship (2012, 2013, 2014), 1st Place Cadet World US Team Trials (2013), 1st Place Fargo Junior Nationals, Freestyle (2012, 2013), 1st Place Fargo Junior Nationals, Greco-Roman (2012), and 3rd Place Fargo Junior Nationals, Greco-Roman (2011). He found just as much success in college, becoming the Dan Hodge Trophy Winner (2019) and an NCAA D1 All-American in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The 29-year-old also won 1st Place in the NCAA D1 Championships in the years 2017, 2018, and 2019. He secured 1st Place in the Big 10 Championships in 2016, 2018, and 2019, 2nd Place in the NCAA D1 Championships in 2016, and 3rd Place in the Big 10 Championships in 2017. During his senior year, he won 1st Place in the U23 World Championship (2019) and also secured 1st Place US Open / Senior Freestyle Nationals (2019).

Bo Nickal’s wife and son

Beyond the wrestling mats, Bo Nickal and his wife, Maddie Holmberg, met in college, where they were both kinesiology majors. They used to hang out with the same group of friends. The two found a spark with each other, and Nickal proposed to Maddie in the year 2020, and they would go on to tie the knot in the same year. After around two years of marriage, Nickal and Holmberg would announce that they were pregnant with their first child. A few months later, in December 2023, the couple posted a picture of their firstborn son, Ace, on Instagram.

All these chapters, childhood, family roots, and athletic upbringing, created the fighter fans see today. But behind the highlight reels is the same kid who first stepped onto a wrestling mat at six years old, pushed by a family that believed he could become something special. And now, with a massive fight against Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322, his family story acts as the quiet engine behind his momentum!