Bo Nickal's middleweight bout with Joe Pyfer has been removed from UFC 335 on December 12 and pushed to next February in Cleveland, Ohio, where it will be Nickal's first UFC main event. Nickal confirmed the delay was due to injuries he has been managing since January or February, though he declined to specify them. He described the postponement as a precaution to keep the issue from getting worse.
Bo Nickal's middleweight fight with Joe Pyfer has been pulled from UFC 335 on December 12 and rescheduled for next February in Cleveland, Ohio, Bloody Elbow reported. The bout is set to be the first UFC main event of Nickal's career.
Nickal said the delay stems from injuries he has been managing since January or February, though he declined to specify them. He described the postponement as a precaution to keep the problem from getting worse.
Nickal, 30, is 9-1-0 and ranked 14th at middleweight. The southpaw from American Top Team Happy Valley is coming off a first-round knockout of Kyle Daukaus at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, his most recent recorded fight. That win followed a third-round stoppage of Rodolfo Vieira in November 2025, and both came after his only loss, a second-round TKO against Reinier de Ridder in May 2025. Nickal lands 3.35 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy and averages 3.1 takedowns and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Pyfer, also 30, is 16-3-0 and ranked sixth in the division. The orthodox fighter from Team Balance beat Israel Adesanya by second-round TKO on March 28, his most recent recorded fight. He also has a second-round submission of Abus Magomedov in October 2025 and a unanimous decision over Kelvin Gastelum in June 2025, a three-fight winning run. Pyfer lands 3.52 significant strikes per minute at 44 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Rankings: Pyfer sits eight places above Nickal, so a win for the lower-ranked man would carry the bigger movement.
- Style contrast: Nickal's 61 percent accuracy and 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes compare with Pyfer's 44 percent and 1.45, a clear wrestling-against-striking gap on paper.
- Physical profile: Pyfer is an inch taller, at 188 cm to 185 cm, while Nickal holds a 2 cm reach edge, 193 cm to 191 cm.
- Layoff: The February date means Nickal, who last fought on June 14, will have gone roughly eight months between bouts.
The UFC has not been reported to have announced an exact date for the Cleveland card.
Joe Pyfer vs Bo Nickal
See the AI pick, live odds and the full matchup breakdown
Saturday, December 12, 2026
