Bo Nikal scored his first head kick KO in opposition to BJJ standout Rodolfo Vieira within the extremely anticipated prelims of UFC 322.
Nickal bought off to a fast begin, shortly wrapping Vieira up and forcing him to his toes and slamming him into the canvas. Nickal instantly went on the offensive, unleashing a collection of assaults close to the fence, however Vieira lined effectively to scale back potential injury.
Nickal landed a slicing elbow in a mid-round alternate that destroyed Vieira close to his left eye.
After a comparatively quiet first spherical, Vieira swung and landed a number of proper palms within the second spherical. Nickal shortly got here again and linked with some nice combos, adopted by a stiff jab that caught Vieira within the nostril. A couple of minutes after being overwhelmed by Nickal’s jab, Vieira went for a takedown and pushed the previous Nittany Lion in opposition to the fence.
It did not take lengthy for Nikkal to fend off a takedown try and circle away. On the finish of the second spherical, Vieira was 0-6 in takedown makes an attempt and sure 2-0 on the scorecard.
With Nickal seemingly minutes away from a giant comeback victory, the previous NCAA nationwide champion delivered a thunderous head kick that linked clear and immediately knocked Vieira unconscious.
official outcomes: Bo Nikal def. Rodolfo Vieira wins by KO (head kick) at 2:24 of spherical 3.
