Penn State alum Bo Nickal feeling confident as record-setting ...

Penn State alum Bo Nickal is ready to return to the octagon this weekend. And, in news that will not surprise Nittany Lions fans, the former NCAA and international wrestling champion is not fazed by the historic nature of his upcoming fight at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, Nev.

Sports books are set to send Nickal off as the largest betting favorite in UFC history. As of Saturday morning, he is -3500 to beat opponent Valentine Woodburn at FanDuel, even if both fighters are unbeaten. To put those odds in layman’s terms, a gambler would need to put up $3,500 to win $100 if Nickal leaves the bout victorious.

“It’s pretty crazy,” Nickal said of the odds at Wednesday’s UFC 290 media day, according to MMA Junkie. “It makes sense to me. The math checks out … Great value. Hammer it.”

Nickal has never lacked confidence throughout his career. But, he did have second thoughts about taking on Woodburn, who is a last-second fill-in after previously scheduled foe Tresean Gore backed out earlier this week due to injury. But, just as he did at Penn State, Nickal (4-0 in MMA, 1-0 in UFC) decided he was up for any challenge, and thus the pay-per-view date with Woodburn (7-0, 0-0) was set on short notice.

“There were concerns just because for me, initially, I’m not the type of guy to do last-minute switch-ups and stuff,” Nickal said, per MMA Junkie. “I’m very calculated, planned and I felt like a little unsure of what to do. But the more we thought about it, the more I talked to my team – I’m just very fortunate to have a great team. They led me in the right direction. I trust those people.

“At the end of the day, I made the decision of what we’re going to do, but I think I’m always trying to build my reputation. It doesn’t matter who I’m fighting. I’m just trying to go out there doing my best.”

The Nickal-Woodburn fight will lead off the pay-per-view part of UFC 290. The match will start around 10 p.m. ET, which is 7 p.m. local time, inside of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. So far, the Penn State alum has cruised in the mixed martial arts world, and he hopes to keep his dominant winning streak going on Saturday night.

“There’s just going to be that expectation that’s set,” Nickal told MMA Junkie. “I’m 4-0 with four first-round finishes and people want to see me fail. A lot of people want to see me win and just a lot of expectations.

“For me, I’m just going out there to perform to the best of my ability. Whether that’s a first-round finish or that’s a decision, that’s not really of concern. I’m just going out there to do my best and everything else will take care of itself.”