Bo Nickal, a Penn State senior and one of the best American college wrestlers to ever put on a singlet, understands what could be ahead. He would eventually close out that weekend in Pittsburgh with a third NCAA title and instant legend status. Nickal and his family offer a perfect window into how dramatically the relationship between MMA and U.S. amateur wrestling has changed over the past 10 years. ā ā "The plan is to do the Olympics in 2020," Nickal told ESPN. "Then start fighting." ā ā He says it as though MMA is the obvious next choice, like a law school graduate passing the bar and saying he'll probably be a lawyer. The casualness in his voice is important. Even though it's still a tough choice for great wrestlers to leave international wrestling and skip the coaching path, Nickal is one of the many wrestlers at NCAAs who spoke of MMA as an exciting next step, not some devastating breakup they needed to initiate in order to pay the mortgage. ā ā A few minutes later, his teammate, NCAA heavyweight champ Anthony Cassar, says he too wants to pursue the 2020 Olympics and will transition to fighting after that. ā ā PC šø @espn ā ā ā ā ā ā”ļø @nobickal1 ā ā ā ā”ļø @ant_thechamp_cassar ā ā ā ā @pennstatewrest @ncaawrestling @gopsusports @psu_wrestling_ @pennstategang @espn ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā #bonickal #anthonycassar #getobsessed #obsessedwrestler #hodge #hodgewinner #hodgetrophy #hodgetrophywinner #mvp #mostvaluable #mma #mixedmartialarts #texaswrestling #txwrestling #usawrestling #teamusa #ncaawrestlingchampionships #pennstate #pennstatewrestling #pittsburgh #ppg #ppgarena #socialmediamarketing (at PPG Paints Arena) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv0PKW8Bv4Q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ab6v9a1e96l6
