Overview
- Nickal stopped Rodolfo Vieira with a third-round head kick in the featured prelim at Madison Square Garden to move to 8-1.
- The win followed a May loss to Reinier de Ridder and a drop from the main card, turning a pressured return into a statement performance.
- Daniel Cormier said the knockout restored Nickal’s championship trajectory and credited the progress shown in his setup and timing.
- Jorge Masvidal described long-running work on Nickal’s kicking at American Top Team and floated matchups like Jared Cannonier and Joe Pyfer.
- Empire Sports Media proposed Christian Leroy Duncan as a next opponent, while rankings movement and official matchmaking remain unresolved.