Bo Nickal hasn’t tasted defeat very often in his wrestling career but for the first time since 2020 he dropped a match to 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly at RAF 12 from Cleveland.
Despite McEnelly giving up a lot of size to Nickal, he showed his skill level by making the top 15 ranked UFC middleweight work during every moment in the match. While he gave up an opening point due to passivity, McEnelly ultimately scored the only takedown in the match when he got a slick go-behind to put Nickal on his belly
on the mat.
The two points put McEnelly in the lead and he scored another point when Nickal failed to produce any offense of his own while he was put on the passivity shot clock. Nickal eventually did get one more point from passivity but at 3-2 and time running out, the three-time NCAA champion had to shift into desperation mode.
Nickal didn’t have time to set up his takedowns so he just kept shooting and hoping he could catch McEnelly’s legs but the University of Minnesota standout was just too quick on his feet. Again and again, McEnelly avoided Nickal’s attacks and even stopped the Penn State legend from pushing him out of bounds where he could have scored a single point and potentially win the match on criteria.
When the third period ended, McEnelly was up 3-2 to get the victory with Nickal dropping a wrestling match for the first time since falling to Penn State teammate David Taylor during the 2020 Olympic trials.
“There’s a new star in this organization,” McEnelly shouted after his statement win. “I’m coming for the belt. He’s a great wrestler. It finally came and it feels good to get the win. He’s a good competitor. He’s one of those top level guys.”
Nickal hasn’t booked his next fight in the UFC yet so it’s possible he asks RAF for an immediate rematch against McEnelly in the near future. But for tonight the 2026 NCAA champion can celebrate the victory while adding Nickal’s name to his resume under the win column.
