Bo Nickal and Yoel Romero will be hoping that third time’s the charm after being booked to wrestle yet again.

UFC star Nickal was twice due to face Romero in December and January on the RAF Wrestling mat. Their first one was called off when the current middleweight contender was forced out, while the second was cancelled when the ex-title contender missed weight at the following event.

The pair have both turned to MMA in their professional careers, but their first loves were wrestling. Nickal was a Dan Hodge Trophy winner and three-time Division I All-American at Penn State, while Romero picked up a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games.

Bo Nickal vs Yoel Romero booked again by RAF Wrestling

Despite their first two meetings being doomed to fail, RAF Wrestling matchmakers have decided to try putting Yoel Romero and Bo Nickal together one more time. The bout is the first announced for their New York event at UBS Arena on Long Island on December 19.

Nickal had been due to fight a week prior to the event at UFC 335 in a grudge match with Joe Pyfer. However, that matchup has been postponed and he has told the promotion he wants to wait for his rival to heal up so they can fight.

Instead, he will get a chance to stay active on the mat against Romero, whose RAF experience has been mixed thus far. He most recently fought in BKFC against Darren Till in a clash that Conor McGregor branded a ‘white collar spar’.