issue 223
November 2025
Everyone knows Bo Nickal, yet he doesn't have a perfect record and isn’t even in the top 15 of the middleweight rankings. However, there’s something about what he represents in the form of faith, family, and flag that seems to resonate with fans
“I try to enjoy it and have fun and take that same positive approach regardless of what I’m doing,” he says, reflecting on how he balances his career with family life. “We’ll be in the living room, and we have little boxing gloves for Ace (his son). He wants to box. He wants to wrestle. He wants to fight. I would rather him probably do something a little easier, like golf or football, something a little more fun.”
For Nickal, family is first, career second, but his dedication to both is absolute.
“I want to be the best dad I can be, the best husband I can be, the best fighter I can be. I definitely prioritize it. But I give as much as I can in every area of my life.”
It’s a philosophy that carries through to everything he does, from his training to his public persona.
FAITH AS A FOUNDATION
At his center is faith.
“My faith is the most important thing in my life,” he says. “It’s what everything else gets built off of, whether that be my family, my relationships, or my career,” he says.
Prayer, Bible study, sermons, and church attendance mark his daily life. It’s a lens through which he experiences the world and gives him freedom.
“I know that I was created in the image of God, and that He loves me regardless of anything I do, any successes or failures I have. That gives me a lot of peace and comfort, knowing that I can go out there and pursue my goals with 100% effort, and the results will take care of themselves.”
It’s a mindset that is becoming increasingly common among the sport’s champions, even though many of them follow different faiths.
LEARNING FROM LOSS
Even his first defeat inside the Octagon became an opportunity for reflection and growth.
“Man, I’ll tell you what, it would be a lot different if I didn’t have as strong of a faith as I do,” he says. “After leaving the arena, I was super disappointed, frustrated, angry. I felt very strong emotions. But I was able to re-center and really kind of move on from that mentally in a way that was positive. I could use that as motivation and a learning experience rather than dwelling on it.”
THE FUEL OF DEFEAT
This resilience was shaped long before he entered MMA. Even in childhood, Nickal’s losses left lasting impressions.
“I can think about losing wrestling matches at seven and eight years old,” he says. “Those are the ones that really stuck with me. I don’t remember a lot of the wins, but the losses are very vivid to me. I think for me, it was always like I had a target on my back because I was naturally gifted and pretty good at what I was doing. All those experiences. I always felt like I had something to prove, and that motivated me a lot.”
That motivation, he emphasizes, isn’t about ego. It’s about giving one’s best effort in every arena of life.
RECONCILING FAITH AND COMBAT
Controlled aggression is part of fighting, yet it can feel at odds with Nickal’s deeply held beliefs.
“I would say that I struggle with it a bit,” he admits.
Sparring requires a careful balance between intensity and respect.
“I definitely don’t want to hurt people,” he says, “It isn’t something I want to go on the street with and hurt people. I look at it more as a sport, something that I enjoy doing and want to continue to get better at.”
Even in defeat, Nickal’s perspective on competition is unusually measured.
“Before the RDR fight, I was not really looking to rush into things,” he says. “I was taking a slower path. But after the fight, I realized I was closer to the top than I thought. I can make this happen. Even though the fight didn’t go the way I wanted, it gave me a renewed sense of readiness.”
PATRIOTISM AND PRINCIPLES IN THE CAGE
For Nickal, faith and patriotism guide his conduct in and out of the cage. In a sport often defined by brash self-promotion and sometimes divisive politics, he presents a different model: one of grounded confidence and adherence to principles.
“My belief in myself is as strong as ever that I can accomplish my goals,” Nickal says. “It’s not about winning and losing. It’s about giving your best effort, prioritizing the right things, and making the most of every opportunity.”
His approach to the sport mirrors his approach to life. He prepares diligently, fights fiercely, and yet remains rooted in the principles that define him: family, faith, and country.
“I try to go into every situation with the same mindset, the same attitude,” he says. “I want to be as good as I can at all the things I’m doing.”
A LEGACY BEYOND VICTORY
Nickal’s story is a reminder that the measure of a fighter isn’t just in knockouts or titles. It’s in resilience, purpose, and the ability to stay grounded when the world demands bravado. It’s in teaching your child to fight, but also to respect, to enjoy, and to grow. It’s in taking losses not as a mark of failure but as an opportunity to refine, improve, and honor the gifts you’ve been given. As he prepares to move forward, he carries the lessons of faith, family, and patriotism, all woven into the fabric of his identity. In Bo Nickal’s America, being a fighter means more than winning. It means living in alignment with the values that guide him, inside and outside the cage. It is that alignment, perhaps, that makes him so compelling. A man of faith who fights. A patriot who competes on the global stage. A father committed to the principles he holds dear. In a sport that often glorifies destruction, Bo Nickal is building something different: a legacy defined not just by victories, but by purpose.
