Bo Nickal returns to the mats at RAF 12 to face 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly

Bo Nickal will step back onto the wrestling mat for the first time since 2025 when he faces 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly at RAF 12 in Cleveland on August 22. RAF officials confirmed the pairing on Monday, setting up a marquee clash between two decorated collegiate wrestlers.

Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion, made his competitive wrestling return at the very first RAF card in August 2025, defeating Jacob Cardenas in his first match since narrowly missing out on the 2020 US Olympic team. A subsequent matchup with Olympic silver medalist and MMA fighter Yoel Romero was booked but fell apart after the Cuban missed weight. Now, fresh off a knockout victory over Kyle Daukaus at the UFC White House card, Nickal returns to his roots at RAF’s first anniversary event.

His opponent is no easy mark. McEnelly was a four-time state champion in Minnesota before enrolling at the University of Minnesota, where he earned All-American honours as a redshirt freshman and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In his sophomore season he emerged as one of the country’s premier wrestlers, ultimately claiming the 2026 NCAA title at 184 pounds with a finals win over Penn State’s Rocco Welsh.

For McEnelly, the bout represents a chance to measure himself against one of the sport’s most celebrated collegiate wrestlers. For Nickal, it is an opportunity to prove his wrestling credentials remain elite even as his MMA career continues to develop inside the UFC.

The full RAF 12 card is still being assembled, but the event will also feature a welterweight contest between former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Joaquin Buckley.