Bo Nickal delivered a statement victory at UFC 322, stopping Rodolfo Vieira with a brutal third-round head kick to close out the preliminary card at Madison Square Garden. Originally slated for the main card, the matchup was pushed down to prelims weeks before the event following fan backlash over Nickal’s placement on the main card after the loss to RDR. However, the NCAA wrestling standout didn’t let it dampen his intensity.

From the opening bell, Nickal came out aggressive, locking in a tight guillotine attempt and taking Vieira’s back. A sharp left elbow from Nickal opened a cut above Vieira’s eye, leaving the Brazilian clearly behind after Round 1. The second round only worsened things for Vieira. Nickal unloaded heavy shots, the cut poured blood, and Vieira’s lone takedown attempt in the round was easily stuffed.

Bo Nickal has a message for his critics

Despite being known primarily for his grappling, Bo Nickal out-struck Vieira across the board while shutting down every takedown. The final round brought the finish Nickal was hunting for. A perfectly timed brutal kick to Vieira’s head ended the contest and sealed Nickal’s emphatic comeback win—erasing the sting of his last loss and sending him into celebration as Rodolfo Vieira remained unconscious on the canvas. In an emphatic message for his critics, the 29-year-old showed the middle finger to the crowd.

In the post-fight interview, he addressed all the criticism he received, especially after his loss to Reinier de Ridder earlier this year. As the crowd at MSG erupted with boos at the end of the fight, “That’s the game,” Nickal said post-fight. “I’ve lost a lot since I was a young kid, and they always hit me hard, but guess what? I always bounce back, and I keep coming, because I live for this. I love it. This is the most fun job in the world.”

“And we’re on ESPN, so I can’t curse, but f—k you motherf—kers for booing me and then cheering me,” he added. “Figure it out—either love me or hate me. Pick one.” Soon, social media erupted, as Barstool Sports shared the clip of the knockout on X with the caption, “BO NICKAL NIGHT NIGHT.” Fans quickly joined the conversation, sharing their thoughts.

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Rodolfo Vieira branded a cherry-picked opponent

One user praised Nickal for his head kick. The user wrote, “That kick was on point. Nice 🔥🥊👍” This would be a breath of fresh air, as Nickal mostly gets criticized. 

Another user lashed out against Nickal’s critics. The user wrote, “F—k everyone that hated on him.” However, most of the criticism he gets is because of his perceived arrogance. Nickal has always been well accomplished, especially given his background in wrestling.  

A third user was left stunned by Nickal’s performance. The user claimed, “The improvements in his striking are crazy, like a different fighter than the RDR and Craig fights.” Notably, Nickal out-struck Vieira. However, the latter is not exactly known for his striking either. 

Meanwhile, this user made some serious accusations. The user wrote, “Vieira had to be throwing this fight. Bo Nickal is NOT LIKE THAT!!!” However, there’s no evidence of that. 

Someone else simply claimed Nickal won the fight because the Brazilian was especially picked for Nickal’s comeback. The user wrote, “Cherry picked to get bo back on track pure n simple Vieira had no chance 😂🤷🏼‍♂️” However, it was Vieira who first asked for the fight.

That said, Bo Nickal has finally managed to redeem his loss to ‘RDR’ earlier this year. However, the question is, will this win take him any closer to a title?