Bo Nickal now has a taste of what it’s like to go the distance in a professional MMA fight, and was ‘on fire’ with his performance. However, the New York crowd at the UFC 309 PPV disagreed. Nickal performed a golf swing in celebration before he bent down to chat with GOP Nominee and president-elect Donald Trump. Now, he gives more details on their kinship.
Bo Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he outstruck Paul Craig in Saturday’s PPV main card. Despite a clean sweep of the scorecards, Nickal was met with boos and chants of “over-rated” from the crowd. Nickal’s friend and big fan, Donald Trump, was on hand for his match against Craig. He said Trump even texted him before the fight.
It was amazing to, uh, have him there… and support that he send me – a really nice text prior to the fight. And it was kind of, with a, uh – you know, saying that he is supporting me. So yeah, it adds pressure. Post-fight it was great to see him.
Bo Nickal on new ‘The Ariel Helwani Show’ (@ArielHelwani)
Trump even hyped up talks about attending UFC 309, during the JRE Show #2219. The former national champion dreams of one day challenging Khamzat Chimaev in a potential title fight. Trump’s favorite fighter caught serious flak for his slow and safe approach. But it only improves his stride and makes their kinship that much closer.
🤝Bo Nickal shares that President Donald Trump sent him a message of support ahead of his fight with Paul Craig
🎥@arielhelwani 🔹 pic.twitter.com/j9DX2xKzQJ
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 18, 2024
Nickal touts six wins ending by way of knockout or submission — five within the first round. While his past performance saw critic for just relying on one tool too much, he’s mixing it up now. The brass does not seem to be in a hurry to get the NCAA Division-1 National Champion out of Penn State into UFC’s Top 10. But his camaraderie with “best fighter” Donald Trump might just boost that a bit.
Bo Nickal talks about his post-fight chat with the President-elect
Bo Nickal picked up a unanimous decision in a middleweight scrap at UFC 309 on Saturday night. Afterward, he was seen talking with President-elect Donald Trump. The former president often mentions him during interviews and has had a connection with him since his collegiate wrestling days.
Bo Nickal; with Donald Trump (Source: X)Nickal’s description of his performance as “picture perfect” was an allusion to a successful game plan. While there are blames on his corner for not pushing him to work his strengths, the fighter does not mind. He is chasing that elusive finish or to be a pound-for-pound draw who can finish fighters in their own game. To that end, he thinks he’s making progress.
This weekend also did not hinder his brotherhood with the ex-Prez. Performing in front of the President-elect, Nickal performed a golf swing in celebration. He later faced questions about what conversation they had in that brief period.
After the fight, I saw President Trump, …Showed him my golf swing. Asked him how it looked. He said it needs work. I told him all right, I know you’re in Florida in the winter so I’ll see you… Let’s hit some rounds…So, I’ll be down in Florida playing golf with Mr. President and hopefully improving that swing.
Bo Nickal during UFC 309 post-fight conference interviews
Nickal, 28, had never been on a scorecard and indeed had never seen a third round prior to UFC 309. While remaining undefeated, he saw the fight as a learning and growing experience. For now, he’ll look to honing his fight acumen and do with some away time and golfing.
