“People that are big wrestling fans and love the sport of wrestling are starting to get into MMA, and I feel like a lot of those people are continuing to support me,” Nickal said. “It’s really cool in a new arena to have that solid group of people want to stick with me.”
Along with the experience of competing in hostile territory, Nickal is also no stranger to high pressure, high stakes situations from his days as a Nittany Lion, including being involved in one of the most iconic matches in collegiate wrestling history.
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During Nickal’s junior year in college, he faced off against Ohio State’s Myles Martin with the NCAA team title on the line in a rematch of a previous year’s National championship match. In the ultimate do-or-die moment, Nickal came through for his team and secured the National championship victory.
“I feel like there have been a lot of big moments in the sport of wrestling and a lot of crazy things have happened,” Nickal said. “I think there’s been a general consensus about this, that it would be the number one NCAA wrestling moment of all time.”
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With such dramatic moments already under his belt, Nickal feels more than mentally prepared as he takes on Zachary Borrego at Dana White’s Contender Series on August 9.
