Overview
- Live blog coverage from MMA Fighting scored Round 1 10-9 for Nickal after he secured early control positions and landed cleaner strikes.
- The matchup headlines the UFC 322 preliminary card at Madison Square Garden, with referee Dan Miragliotta overseeing the bout.
- Nickal entered 7-1 after a second-round knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder in May, following a 4-0 start in the UFC with three finishes.
- Vieira, an ADCC champion and multiple-time jiu-jitsu world titleholder, called this the biggest and one of the toughest fights of his career.
- Betting markets backed Nickal entering fight night, with FanDuel listing him around -245, as Daniel Cormier urged patience about his long-term ceiling.