After making the decision to transition from wrestling to MMA following an Olympic run, Nickal set his sights on management to guide him through the early stages of his fighting career and beyond. After graduating from Penn State in 2019, the blue-chip prospect flew down to Florida in hopes of finding a new home when he was ready for the cage, and Nickal was asked a question that would change his life forever…by allowing his life to stay exactly as it has been.
“[FRM boss Malki Kawa] was asking me where I wanted to train and stuff, and I was like, ‘Well it’d be nice to continue to train at Penn State,’” Nickal explained. “He’s like, ‘Let me put you in touch with Dan [Lambert]. I think there’s a way we can work something out and see about putting an American Top Team up there.’ On that trip I met with Dan, and we immediately hit it off. He’s such a great guy and one of the OGs of the sport. He loved the idea, so we started planning it immediately.”
After healing from injuries, the COVID pandemic and Olympic Trials, Nickal found himself ready to venture into his new career at almost exactly the same time that the gym was ready to open doors.
Lambert, ATT and FRM had such faith in Nickal that before he had even called it a career in wrestling, hundreds of thousands of dollars were being sunk into ATT Happy Valley.
Is it possible that the gym could have success without Nickal? It’s possible. Mixed martial arts has put BJJ and Muay Thai on the map like never before, but even with that in mind, central Pennsylvania isn’t exactly a hotbed for tomorrow’s MMA stars.
Until now.