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 weeks before the event—but neither fighter let that dampen the 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. Round 2 only worsened things for Vieira. Nickal unloaded heavy shots, the cut poured blood, and Vieira’s takedown attempts were easily stuffed. 

Despite being known primarily for his grappling, 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 head kick ended the contest and sealed Nickal’s emphatic comeback win—erasing the sting of his last loss and sending him into celebration.

Soon, social media erupted as the Brazilian lay unconscious from the head kick. 

One user wrote, “That kick was on point. Nice 🔥🥊👍”

Another wrote, “Fuck everyone that hated on him”

A third user claimed, “The improvements in his striking are crazy, like a different fighter than the RDR and Craig fights.”

Meanwhile, this user wrote, “Vieira had to be throwing this fight. Bo Nickal is NOT LIKE THAT!!!”

Someone else wrote, “Cherry picked to get bo back on track pure n simple vieria had no chance 😂🤷🏼‍♂️”

This is a developing story—stay tuned to learn more.