Middleweight prospect Bo Nickal shocked everyone by using a striking-focused gameplan to defeat a BJJ specialist at UFC 309. To make matters worse, President-elect Donald Trump came to see Nickal fight but fans described it as a ‘snoozefest.’ A strike-heavy Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) remained unbeaten when he outstruck Paul Craig at UFC 309.
A lot of fans booed the NCAA National Champion as he refused to capitalize after hurting the Scottish fighter. Bo Nickal often comes up in talks of facing boogeyman and wrestle-heavy Khamzat Chimaev. He was also critiqued for previously downplaying Chimaev’s wrestling. However, the NCAA champion said this one was a one-off and that he’d still have the edge over any and all wrestler.
My goal has always been to be UFC champion, pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the world…I think that this last fight, even though people didn’t love the performance, was a great step…Think people now are saying, ‘Oh, Bo, he can’t wrestle’ this or that. Bro, trust me, I can wrestle…So, you can guarantee that every single guy I’m going to be taking them down.
Bo Nickal via the “Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman & Henry Cejudo” Podcast
Despite winning a unanimous decision, the hype surrounding Bo Nickal has died down a little. Many have concluded that he’s not ready to face the big boys and top echelon at 185lbs. Even commentators like Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik said as much during his UFC 309 no-wrestling stint. The same suggestion was give by the podcast co-hosts themselves before.
The middleweight from American Top Team (ATT) is also more curious of a case than Benjamin Button – often dumbing down his own performances and sliding past proper showmanship in favor of P4P skills. However, now Donald Trump’s fighter of interest touts a win without using his biggest asset. This is because Craig finished ex-champion Jamahal Hill and top contender Magomed Ankalaev off of his back.
Bo Nickal talks more about his performance at UFC 309 and past it
Nickal caught flak for not drawing on his decorated wrestling background, choosing instead to stand up. He swept the scorecards with what some would say was a lackluster lopsided win (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Shutting out a veteran like Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) is also the finisher ever reached a scorecard. But swipe him, he did indeed.
What’s next for Bo Nickal after UFC 309? (Source: X)Craig, 36, was a solid test for Bo Nickal and he wanted to prove that he was an all-around fighter. Not just some one-trick pony even though he is a decorated wrestler. The negative reactions didn’t faze him. But that is not to say he does not see openings in his game at UFC 309.
It didn’t really faze me, …When I look at my performance, there’s definitely a lot of things I could do better. But I’m also really happy with being able to get 15 minutes in the cage. If you look at my total Octagon time before this fight, it’s way less than that. So, I over-doubled my experience in the cage, which is something I’m really grateful for, and it’s something I think is going to pay dividends down the line.
Bo Nickal further via the “Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman & Henry Cejudo” Podcast
The win wasn’t enough for a middleweight top 15 – but it seems highly likely he’ll move through the rankings in 2025. Ranked contenders or even former title challengers could be next for him; so he means to stay ready with an array of skills to the test, not just wrestling.
Names like Michel Pereira, Jack Hermansson, Anthony Hernandez, and Paulo Costa are more than likely. For now, he’ll wait for a call-up from the bosses – and maybe downtime golfing with Donald Trump.
