Back in May, former One Championship middleweight king Reinier de Ridder pulled the chain on Bo Nickal‘s hype train with a TKO. After seven victories, the former Penn State wrestler tasted defeat as RDR literally knocked the wind out of Nickal with sharp knees to the body. Yet, the three-time NCAA champion promised to bounce back stronger, and what better way to hit reset than to go back to his roots?

Appearing on the July 3 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, the former college wrestler revealed some breaking news. “There’s this lesser-known sport called wrestling. It’s a really great base for professional MMA,” the 29-year-old joked. However, he was quite serious about the next part. “I’m gonna, you know? Throw my hat in the ring and be doing some professional wrestling.”

Bo Nickal explained he would compete at the upcoming Real American Freestyle (RAF) event on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. And now the RAF01 lineup has confirmed the news, pitting Nickal against 3x NCAA All-American and 3x U23 world medalist Jacob Cardenas. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan, who joined hands with on-screen personality Eric Bischoff and wrestling veteran Izzy Martinez to create RAF, sang praises of the former NCAA champion after Nickal announced his intention to compete. “Bo Nickal is a tremendous athlete and one of the most accomplished wrestlers on the planet,” Hogan said in a press release.

“Nickal immediately elevates the RAF roster to new heights with his competitiveness and experience,” the hall of famer added. What’s more? Bo Nickal’s opponent, Jacob Cardenas, owes his college wrestling career to pro wrestling as well. The Michigan Daily reported that Cardenas fell in love with the WWE when he was just 6, and it inspired him to start wrestling. However, RAF is a detour before Nickal’s eventual UFC return.

Bo Nickal’s goal remains the same

While the former two-weight One Championship champion shattered the 29-year-old’s aura of invincibility, the loss didn’t break Nickal. Instead, the former U23 wrestling world champion took the loss in his stride. “I never wanted to be an undefeated UFC champion. I never said that. I’ve probably challenged myself more than I should,” he said after his loss to Reinier de Ridder.

“The goal isn’t any different. I just want to continue to get better and improve, and I want to find out how good I can be. I’m 100% happy, grateful, and excited about this new path that’s maybe a little different than what I expected,” Bo Nickal added on his Nickal and Dime Podcast. While we don’t know when the 29-year-old will jump back in the octagon, he’s treating the loss as a road bump.

Although there was no shortage of UFC fans who reveled in Nickal losing the ‘zero’ in his record, others came to the former NCAA star’s support. Even RDR came to the middleweight’s defense in an interview with MMA Fighting. “The difference between being very confident and arrogant is very small. I’ve been a victim of this in the past, maybe a little bit as well,” confessed de Ridder.

The 34-year-old praised the former college wrestler’s strength in the Octagon and predicted that Nickal will be back in the Octagon after a six-month break. What’s more? RDR predicted that Bo Nickal has what it takes to “tear through a lot of guys” in the middleweight division. While there’s still time to see if the MMA veteran’s prediction comes true, for now, Bo Nickal is focused on the RAF event.