Bo Nickal was visibly devastated when he received the news: Tresean Gore, Nickal’s original opponent for Saturday’s UFC 290 in Las Vegas, dropped out of their scheduled bout.
With no dance partner for the organization’s biggest night of the year, a sweaty Nickal lay flat on the mat at the UFC Performance Institute.
Matchmakers scrambled to find a replacement. Enter Valentine Woodburn, the undefeated middleweight champion of Combat Night, a regional promotion in Florida.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” Woodburn said Thursday of the chance to make his UFC debut against Nickal on short notice. “A debut fight against one of the best fighters on the roster, I’m excited.”
Woodburn Facing Long Odds
The early odds for this new matchup had Nickal as the -1200 favorite.
While it may appear the UFC brass is marching a lamb to slaughter at the hands of the new cash cow on International Fight Week, Woodburn is far from a ceremonial sacrifice.
"If you've never wrestled before and you're fighting me I don't think it will go super well. Just being honest."
Bo Nickal is confident he could go to the Paris Olympics and still win an Olympic Gold in wrestling…#UFC290 | https://t.co/G61oyuuesZ pic.twitter.com/fHoU1AVF2m
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) July 7, 2023
If anything, Woodburn, who was already slated to compete on the Contender Series in August, is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
A perfect 7-0 since going pro in 2020, Woodburn has finished five of his seven opponents. Woodburn said he’s excited to make his UFC debut, but he’s not satisfied with just being invite to the soiree.
“I’m coming in to put on a show,” he said. “I’m going to be the bad apple Saturday night. I’m known for ruining guy’s records.”
A Case for Woodburn
It appears Valentine is well-equipped to play the role of heartbreaker against Nickal.
The hype around Nickal—a decorated, three-time NCAA national champion wrestler who is undefeated in his four pro MMA fights—is well-deserved, but he’s going up against a battle-tested and more experienced Woodburn, at least when it comes to mixed martial arts.
Just how good is Bo Nickal? pic.twitter.com/izJ6DCtco9
— Josh Does MMA 👊🏻🥊 (@joshdoesmma) July 7, 2023
While oddsmakers aren’t giving Woodburn much of a chance, he just might—dare I say it—be able to pull off the huge upset win.
All the pressure is on Nickal, who has only been training mixed martial arts for about a year. Woodburn spent more time in the cage in his last fight (a unanimous decision victory over Luis Sergio Melo Jr.) than Nickal has his entire pro career.
The truth is, Nickal hasn’t fought anyone with the elite talent one should expect to see in the UFC. In fact, three of his four opponents have since gone on to lose fights outside of the UFC.
While Nickal’s old foes have proven they don’t even have to chops to cut it on the smaller fighting circuit, Woodburn has at least proven to be a top dog at that level.
It will be tough for Nickal to not overlook Woodburn. Saturday’s fight is what sports fans call a “trap game.” Nickal is expected to win, and he assumes the replacement isn’t as good as the fighter he was originally training for. There’s a tendency to come in a bit lackluster and underperform to play down to the talent level.
If Nickal’s not careful, Woodburn might just come in and seize control of the hype train.
“Winning this fight is mandatory for me,” Woodburn said. “I’m going to shock the world. I’m going to look [Nickal] in the eyes and say, ‘Thanks for the opportunity.'”
