Bo Nickal is going to take on Val Woodburn in the middleweight division at UFC 290 after Tresean Gore suffered an injury. This event will take place on July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as a part of International Fight Week.
Val Woodburn was scheduled to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series opposite Marco Tulio on August 29. But destiny had other plans for him, as he was given an incredible opportunity to have his UFC debut without needing to go through the strict contract procedure.
The Jamaican native is the current Combat Night middleweight champion. Since going professional in 2020, Woodburn has remained unbeaten, making an incredible 7-0 record. His career debut signaled the start of a journey filled with exciting wins and outstanding performances. Val Woodburn, in particular, has demonstrated his striking skills with five TKO stoppages.
Nickal, 27, emerged into the MMA world in 2022 after he won two quick fights on Dana White’s Contender Series during the same season. Nickal made his professional debut in March at UFC 285 where he submitted Jamie Pickett in just three minutes.
Why did Tresean Gore pull out of his UFC 290 fight against Bo Nickal?
As reports from ESPN, Tresean Gore announced his withdrawal from the fight on Instagram on Tuesday, citing a wrist injury that could require surgery on the scaphoid bone of his wrist. Gore revealed on his Instagram Stories that he has a damaged scaphoid ligament in his wrist, which might keep him out for 6-12 months. He also stated that he hoped to avoid having surgery, but that it seemed like a possibility.
He stated that he was “extremely sad” and “extremely bummed” that he would be missing the fight, but that he will “still be champion and I will still prove I am better than this dude and I’m an elite fighter” whenever he is fit again.
This will not be the first fighter to pull out of UFC 290, as it was disclosed last week that Sean Brady (15-1 MMA) was unable to compete due to a severe staph infection. Brady was scheduled to face Jack Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA) on July 8th, but will now face UFC newbie Josiah Harrell (7-0 MMA).
The featherweight championship fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez will serve as the main event at UFC 290. The flyweight champion will be determined as well, with Alexandre Pantoja taking against Brandon Moreno. Other matchups in the card include Driscus Du Plessis vs. Robert Whittaker and Dan Hooker taking on Jalin Turner.