Bo Nickal is making his long awaited return to wrestling at RAF 12 when he faces 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly on Aug. 22 in Cleveland.
RAF officials announced the pairing on Monday.
Nickal actually performed at the first ever RAF card in August 2025 where he defeated Jacob Cardenas in his first wrestling match since falling short from making the 2020 Olympic team. Nickal has been expected to appear at other RAF events including a showdown booked against Olympic silver medalist and fellow MMA star Yoel Romero but the Cuban missed weight and the matchup was scrapped.
Now after his knockout over Kyle Daukaus at the UFC White House card, Nickal is returning to his roots for a wrestling match at RAF’s first anniversary card in Cleveland but he definitely faces a tough test.
McEnelly was a four-time state champion in Minnesota as a high schooler before taking his talents to the University of Minnesota. He was an NCAA All-American as a redshirt freshman and he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
In his sophomore campaign, McEnelly became one of the top wrestlers in the country before securing his first NCAA championship at 184 pounds following a win over Penn State’s Rocco Welsh in the finals.
Now McEnelly attempts to add another huge accolade to his resume when he faces a three-time NCAA champion in Nickal when they clash on Aug. 22.
While the full card is still coming together including the main event, RAF 12 also includes a matchup between former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley taking on Joaquin Buckley.
