Bo Nickal is set to compete against Shirvani Muradov at a RAF tournament in Moscow on September 5. Muradov is a 2008 Olympic champion and 2007 European champion in wrestling.
Bo Nickal is headed to Moscow, where the American middleweight contender is scheduled to meet Shirvani Muradov at a RAF tournament on September 5.
Nickal, 30, enters the bout riding a 9-1 professional record and currently sits ranked 14th in the UFC middleweight division. The Pennsylvania-born fighter out of American Top Team Happy Valley stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach and competes as a southpaw. His grappling pedigree remains the centerpiece of his game, and his numbers back it up — he averages 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes and 2.5 submission attempts in the same span. He also carries genuine striking output, landing 3.35 significant strikes per minute at a 61 percent accuracy rate.
His opponent, Shirvani Muradov, arrives with decorated wrestling credentials. Muradov is a 2008 Olympic champion and a 2007 European champion in wrestling, making him one of the more accomplished grapplers Nickal has faced in a professional setting.
Why it matters
- Nickal's ranking at 14th in the middleweight division means a strong performance in Moscow could strengthen his case for a higher-profile UFC booking on his return.
- Muradov's Olympic and European wrestling titles set up a rare clash of elite-level grappling pedigrees, testing Nickal's takedown game against a decorated adversary.
- The RAF tournament setting gives Nickal competitive activity outside the UFC octagon ahead of what could be a pivotal stretch in his career.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
