Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit are set to compete in separate bouts at UFC Freedom 250 this Sunday, seven years after the two squared off at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
Nickal, representing Penn State, dominated Hokit of Fresno State in the second round of the tournament. Despite the lopsided result, Nickal acknowledged on social media after footage of the match went viral that Hokit gave him something most opponents did not.
Josh Hokit was the only guy I wrestled my senior year of college who actually tried to beat me and not just stall.
Nickal is one of the few UFC fighters to speak positively about Hokit during his controversial UFC tenure. Both men compete Sunday — Nickal against Kyle Daukaus and Hokit against Derrick Lewis.