Published by
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
By Jon Wertheim The college wrestling legend makes his much-anticipated UFC debut Saturday. Bending his knees and extending his hands at waist level, Donovan Beard did what any sensible person in his position would do. When you’re in a steel cage, pitted against one of the most skilled and decorated wrestlers on the planet, it stands to reason that you would try to defend against the takedown. Bo Nickal, though, has quickly gone from a top-shelf wrestler to a top-shelf mixed martial artist. Less than a minute into a middleweight fight last month on Dana White’s Contender Series—a Las Vegas–bas…