Bo Nickal reportedly searching for new opponent for UFC 290 as Tresean Gore suffers injury

The main card for this weekend’s UFC 290 pay-per-view event has suffered a significant setback. While the event was set to feature a highly anticipated welterweight bout between grappling phenom Bo Nickal and Tresean Gore, the UFC is now desperate to find ‘The Allen Assassin’ another opponent after Gore was forced to pull out of the bout due to injury. 

MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently took to Twitter to announce the news and stated that the UFC is actively working to keep Nickal on the blockbuster International Fight Week card by searching for a new opponent for him. Helwani wrote:

“Bo Nickal is in need of a new opponent for this weekend’s UFC 290 card, sources say. His opponent Tresean Gore is out due to injury. UFC is working on keeping Nickal on the card, I’m told. Hoping to finalize a new bout today.”

Bo Nickal is currently undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist and has a perfect record of 4-0. The three-time NCAA Division 1 champion last faced Jamie Pickett at UFC 285 and secured an incredible first-round submission via an arm triangle choke. 

Meanwhile, Gore currently has a less-than-impressive promotional record of 1-2 but the 28-year-old last beat Josh Fremd via an impressive second-round submission at UFC Fight Night 213. 

What other changes has UFC 290 undergone?

Bo Nickal vs. Tresean Gore isn’t the only matchup that has been scrapped from the UFC 290 lineup. Last week, another highly anticipated welterweight bout between top-ranked fighters Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady was canceled after Brady was forced to pull out due to a Staph infection.

While UFC veteran Kevin Holland initially offered to take the fight against Della Maddalena at UFC 290 on short notice, the promotion decided to give the opportunity to newcomer Josiah Harrell instead. The 24-year-old debutant is an undefeated prospect with a professional record of 7-0, all of his wins coming by way of a finish.  

Harrell recently went viral after clips of him slamming his last opponent Mike Roberts through the octagon door spread on social media. With his incredible power, ‘Muscle Hamster’ shot a well-time double-legged takedown that sent Roberts crashing out of the octagon. 

UFC 290 is set to go down on July 8, during the UFC’s International Fight Week, and is set to be headlined by a featherweight title bout between Alexander Volkanovski and Yair Rodriguez, while the co-main event will feature Brandon Moreno defending his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja.