The transition from collegiate wrestling to mixed martial arts (MMA) is a path well-trodden, with many wrestlers finding success in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). This article highlights some of the most notable UFC fighters who honed their skills at Penn State University, showcasing their achievements both on the mat and in the octagon.
Bo Nickal: A Rising Star
Bo Nickal has taken the MMA world by storm as one of the hottest prospects to enter the UFC in recent memory. Nickal will make his UFC debut Saturday, March 4 against Jamie Pickett on UFC 285.
Bo Nickal was a coveted recruit out of Allen, Texas in 2014, and chose to wrestle for the legendary coach, Cael Sanderson at Penn State University. Nickal was an immediate impact for the Nittany Lions finishing as an NCAA runner-up as a freshman at 174 pounds in 2016. Nickal then went on to win 3 straight NCAA championships and finished his career with a total record of 120-3 while on a 68-match winning streak. On top of the individual success, Penn State won the NCAA team title from 2016-2019, every year Nickal was in the starting lineup.
After graduating in 2019, Nickal's focus shifted to making the Olympic Team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Along with his college accolades, Nickal has impressive international accomplishments as a 2019 U23 World Champion. In April of 2021, Nickal reached the finals of the Olympic Trials at 86kg (189.6 pounds) with wins over 2-time NCAA champion Carter Starocci (6-1), NCAA All-American Pat Downey (13-3), and 2-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia (12-5). However, Nickal came up just short of making the Olympic team, losing in the finals to eventual Olympic gold medalist David Taylor (4-0 and 6-0). Because of his 2019 U23 World Championship and performance at the Olympic Trials, Nickal climbed to the #9 ranked 86kg wrestler in the world.
Following his runner-up finish at the Olympic Trials, Nickal transitioned immediately to MMA. He fought two amateur bouts at the end of 2021 where he submitted David Conley (on September 24) and knocked out Billy Goode (on November 5) - both of those fights ended in the first round. Nickal then made his professional debut on June 3, 2022, against John Noland. That fight also ended in the first round with a knockout in under a minute. Those 3, dominating performances caught the attention of the UFC landing Nickal on Dana White's Contender Series with the opportunity to earn a UFC contract. Nickal's first fight was against Zachary Borrego on August 9, 2022. Nickal won in the first round by submission. After that, he fought on September 27, 2022, against Donovan Beard and again ended the fight by submission in the first round. Following that performance, Dana White awarded Nickal a UFC Contract.
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Чёрный пояс вызвал уборщицу на бой — но её ответ перевернул весь зал!
Nickal won three national championships in wrestling during his time at Penn State and also won the under 23 world championship in 2019. He competed at Penn State from 2016-19, winning three Big Ten titles during his college career, in addition to his three national titles. Nickal has a 7-1 record fighting in the UFC. He most recently suffered his first loss when competing against Reinier de Ridder in May.
Phil Davis: From NCAA Champion to Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion
Phil Davis (born September 25, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes as a Light Heavyweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Davis previously competed for Bellator MMA, where he is the former Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Davis competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he achieved success as a top 5 Light Heavyweight contender and held a UFC record of 9-3 (1).
Davis was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with his two older brothers, Jeffery and John. He began wrestling when he was in the seventh grade and then attended Harrisburg High School. As a high school wrestler, he was a four-year team captain and letterman, with a 112-17 career record, and a three-time PIAA class AAA state placer. Davis also lettered in tennis and cross-country running. He then went on to wrestle for the Penn State Nittany Lions wrestling team, finishing in 5th place nationally in the 197 lb weight class as a junior in 2007 and then winning the 197 lb NCAA title in 2008.
| Достижения Фила Дэвиса |
|---|
| NCAA Champion (2008) |
| Bellator Light Heavyweight World Champion |
| Submission of the Night (One time) vs. St. Phil Davis |
| Newcomer of the Year (2010) |
| Ranked #9 Submission of the Year vs. St. Phil Davis |
| Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal |
Davis' primary training partners were Paul Bradley, Lou Armezzani and Jimy Hettes. He also trained with many visiting fighters such as Dave Herman, Shanon Slack, Dominick Cruz, Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez.
Davis fought Tim Boetsch on November 20, 2010, at UFC 123. He won by a one-handed modified kimura submission later dubbed the "Mr. Davis was expected to face Matt Hamill in Toronto at UFC 129. However, Hamill was tapped as a replacement for Thiago Silva against Rampage Jackson at UFC 130. Davis was expected to face Forrest Griffin on December 29, 2012, at UFC 155. However, in early December, Griffin pulled out of the bout, citing a knee injury. Davis faced Vinny Magalhães in a wrestler vs.
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On August 3, 2013, at UFC 163, Davis won a controversial unanimous decision against former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida. Davis' only significant advantage was ground and pound following take-downs in the last minute of rounds one and two. While ESPN scored the fight for Davis, 13 selected UFC affiliate media outlets scored the fight in favor of Machida. An SP Nation fanpost stated, "Some MMA commentators and bloggers scored the fight 30-27 for Lyoto Machida." UFC president Dana White tweeted shortly after the fight that he had Machida winning all three rounds, and later told Yahoo!
With an official win over the highly ranked Machida, Davis looked to move into title contention against Anthony "Rumble" Johnson who returned to the UFC riding a six-fight win streak at light heavyweight (including one heavyweight fight) outside the promotion, following his disastrous and much-criticised previous UFC run at welterweight. Leading up to the UFC 172 event, Davis actively baited UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on a media promotion conference call. Later, he disparaged Jones' achievements against undersized competition, claiming "against actual light heavyweights, he's been so-so". After UFC 172, Davis faced Glover Teixeira who was coming off a loss to UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones on the same card.
Davis faced his former opponent Ryan Bader again in a title fight on June 24, 2017, at Bellator 180. Bader and Davis first met at UFC on Fox: Gustafsson vs. On February 9, 2021, it was announced that Davis would be participating in the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix Tournament. Davis is scheduled to face Vadim Nemkov for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Championship in the quarterfinal round. This was a rematch of their November 2018 bout, which saw Nemkov win via split decision. In the semifinals, Davis faced Sullivan Cauley at PFL 7 on June 27, 2025.
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