DWCS Season 6, Week 3 results: Bo Nickal smokes opponent, not yet awarded contract

Three-time NCAA Division I champ Bo Nickal steamrolled his second professional MMA opponent, Zachary Borrego, in 62 seconds in the DWCS Season 6, Week 3 headliner. But he’ll need one more win to earn a UFC contract.

Nickal, a wrestling champ at Penn State, was not among three fighters to earn a UFC contract on Tuesday at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Jamal Pogues, Erik Silva and Clayton Carpenter instead were en route to the octagon after wins in their respective fights. Week 2 competitor Shannon Ross, who was diagnosed with an appendicitis after a loss to Vinicius Salvador, was also awarded a contract, it was announced.

UFC President Dana White afterward indicated Nickal’s record was responsible for the delay in his move to the big stage.

“I don’t even know what to say,” White told DWCS commentator Laura Sanko on Nickal’s showing. “He’s amazing, he’s one of the hottest prospects in the sport. He’s 2-0, so what we’d like to do is offer him another fight in the Contender Series. If he wins that one, we’d like to invite him into the UFC.”

As high as a -3500 favorite to win, Nickal needed one small opening to do what he does best, using a half-hearted setup from Borrego to nab a takedown. From there, he grabbed Borrego’s neck and appeared seconds from securing a guillotine choke against the fence. When that wasn’t forthcoming, he whipped around to the back and patiently waited until Borrego formally exposed his neck. The choke took seconds to finish.

Pogues gets second DWCS win, standing

When takedowns and ground domination failed to win Jamal Pogues a UFC contract in his first DWCS appearance in 2019, he stood up and slugged it out with Paulo Renato Jr. Pogues jabbed his smaller opponent to death and paid the tax of his lead leg, which took dozens of kicks over three rounds, leaving him hobbling. The finishing shot was perhaps a punch or two away in the third and final round, yet Renato Jr. was able to avoid the worst of it as he’d done earlier in the fight. Pogues’ right hand was sparse enough that ex-middleweight champ Michael Bisping requested he use it more with combinations to get the finish he so clearly wanted.

All three judges gave the emotional Pogues the unanimous decision by scores of 30-27 and 29-28 twice, a fair call given his confident performance. On the contract side of things, however, there was a question whether it would be enough – until the final announcement.

Silva rains on Boynazarov’s striking parade

Former GLORY kickboxer Anvar Boynazarov racked up three MMA wins on the regional circuit and hoped to punch his ticket to the UFC. Instead, he was the victim of a lesson in what happens when you’re not ready to mix your martial arts.

In less than 30 seconds, Erik Silva took Boynazarov down and exposed him on the canvas, landing a series of elbows and punches that forced referee intervention at the 1:32 mark of the opening frame. Boynazarov’s head violently bounced off the canvas before the stoppage.

Carpenter outlasts Cháirez

A tough first round left Clayton Carpenter with a swollen right eye after Edgar Chairez caught him with several left hooks – and nearly took off his head with a flying knee. Chairez, a training partner of Brandon Moreno, offered the challenge of an experienced and unpredictable foe, throwing spinning backfists and other surprise attacks.

What Chairez lacked was a gas tank, which ran low in deep waters as Carpenter played a smarter game plan and used his wrestling to take over. By the third round, Chairez was exhausted from all the level changes and wound up on his back, taking hard elbows as Carpenter closed out the fight with a statement. All three judges gave the Power MMA product a 29-28 score to extend his unbeaten streak to 6-0.

Wójcik grinds out Lavado

Karolina Wójcik smothered Sandra Lavado over three rounds for a shutout on judges’ scorecards. But her grinding style didn’t get anyone out of their seat.

Lavado tried to keep Wójcik honest with straight punches as Wójcik repeatedly charged in, often with head down and fingers outstreched, to initiate the clinch against the cage. There were several clashes of heads and an eyepoke to Lavado, but by the second round, Wójcik had secured her first takedown and controlled the fight from there. A last-second rear-naked choke attempt was slightly off, and Lavado nearly got her own choke with a quick reversal. In the end, though, Wójcik would settle for 30-27 scorecards in a moderately lackluster affair.

Full DWCS Season 6, Week 3 results;

Bo Nickal def. Zachary Borrego via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:02

Jamal Pogues def. Paulo Renato Jr. via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Erik Silva def. Anvar Boynazarov via KO (ground and pound) - Round 1, 1:32

Clayton Carpenter def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Karolina Wojcik def. Sandra Lavado via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)