Bo Nickal and Yoel Romero will meet in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 16 in Long Island. The bout has already fallen through twice: Nickal withdrew in December of last year, and Romero missed weight in January.
Bo Nickal and Yoel Romero are set to meet in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 16 in Long Island, a pairing that has already collapsed twice. Nickal withdrew from the matchup in December of last year, and Romero then missed weight when it was rescheduled for January.
The rebooking puts two of MMA's most accomplished wrestlers back on a mat together, this time under freestyle rules rather than in the cage.
Nickal, 30, is 9-1 as a middleweight and ranked 14th in the division. The American Top Team Happy Valley product is coming off a first-round KO/TKO 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 at UFC 322 in November 2025. His only recorded loss came to Reinier de Ridder, a second-round KO/TKO in May 2025. Nickal averages 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes, and lands 3.35 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy.
Romero, 49, carries a 13-5 record and fights out of American Top Team. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous-decision loss to Israel Adesanya in a title bout at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020. Before that came decision losses to Paulo Costa and, in a split call, to Robert Whittaker. Romero lands 3.44 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and averages 1.57 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Age gap: Nickal is 30 and Romero is 49, a difference of 19 years.
- Frame: Nickal stands six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, while Romero is six feet with a 73-inch reach, giving Nickal an inch in height and three inches in reach.
- Takedown output: Nickal's 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes is almost double Romero's 1.57, though a freestyle match removes striking and submissions from the equation.
- Activity: Nickal's most recent recorded fight came in June 2026, while Romero's came more than six years earlier.
The two failed attempts make this booking one to watch until the match actually takes place, since neither previous date held.
