Editor’s Note: Tresean Gore is no longer on the UFC 290 card. He was replaced by Val Woodburn. Bo Nickal is now -1800 at DraftKings. Woodburn is +1000 (bet $100, win $1000). This article was written for the previously scheduled Nickal-Gore fight.
The hype machine Bo Nickal makes his return to the Octagon as a -1400 favorite over Tresean Gore. While relatively inexperienced at 4-0, Nickal continues to run through him competition. Most recently, Nickal submitted Jamie Pickett in March of this year. On the other side, Gore possesses a 4-2 record and sits at 1-2 in his last three fights. With that said, he submitted Josh Fremd in his last appearance in October.
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UFC 290: Bo Nickal-Tresean Gore Prediction
Bo Nickal: -1400 | Tresean Gore: +775
Nickal, while his MMA career has been short, comes from a credentialed wrestling background. An NCAA champion at Penn State, Nickal isn’t your average newcomer to MMA. Evaluating his stats is somewhat silly, due to the short duration of his fights. He averages 12.5 takedowns per bout and will hunt submissions relentlessly. The biggest questions with Nickal’s game are striking and adversity related. He hasn’t been pushed in any of his fights, winning by first-round finish in every one. At some point, he will run into a capable opponent that will test him.
On the other side, Gore comes in as a veteran of the Ultimate Fighter. At 29-years-old, Gore remains relatively green himself. He lands 3.04 significant strikes per minute, but absorbs 6.13 himself. His 47% striking defense remains a major concern. On the ground, Gore averages 3.04 takedowns per bout with 71% accuracy. He defends them at 81%, but facing Nickal with significantly test that number. In his career, Gore has one knockout and two submission victories.
With Gore’s affinity for the ground, it’s hard to envision him finding a way to defeat Nickal. Nickal’s number here is still absurd. Try looking for Nickal via submission. Even that might be unplayable.
