UFC 309’s outing hasn’t gone completely as Bo Nickal had originally planned. His debut in the Dana White‘s Contender Series, stamped on his name as a UFC caliber fighter. Nickal has since fought 4 times in the UFC, including his outing against Paul Craig at UFC 309. Despite being less experienced than Craig, Nickal was picked to be the favorite to win.
The American wrestler went toe-to-toe with 8 year veteran in an evenly matched affair. Bo Nickal spoke about taking on stars like of Shara Magomedov, not being a tough fight. Nickal’s claims seem to have fallen flat in the eyes of MMA fans, as New York erupted with chants of ‘Overrated’ in the face of hard fought battle against the European fighter.
Nickal’s outing against veteran in Craig didn’t seem to live up to fans expectation. Surprisingly, he didn’t shoot for a takedown and struggle to find his footing on the feet. Calling the lackluster outing overrated, the NYC crowd ensured to make their voice heard. Nickal, a close ally and golf buddy of POTUS Donald Trump didn’t expect to receive such a negative reaction despite securing a unanimous decision victory.
Still UNDEFEATED 😤@NoBickal gets the decision at #UFC309! pic.twitter.com/dK44dcY6I3
— UFC (@ufc) November 17, 2024
The NYC crowd seemed to unhappy with how things panned out, despite Nickal’s impressive history as a wrestler. During the post fight interview, the American fighter acknowledged the disparity in the crowd’s expectation and what unfolded inside the octagon. He called Paul Craig not an easy fight, which saw them go to a decision.
Bo Nikcal reacts to NYC crowd booing’s in front of golf buddy Donald Trump
Nickal has laid out his pathway of becoming a world champion, which involves facing a few unranked guys. The American mixed martial artist has been rather inactive since breaking into the UFC and taking fewer fights than expected. When quizzed by MMA fans, he responded by suggesting he needed more time to improve his skills.
Paul Craig reacts to NYC crowd booing him at UFC 309 (Image via Open Source)Nickal, who only started his career in 2022, feels he needs more time to refine his skills. Just six fights in his bag, the 28-year-old gave a nod to grizzled vets, and compared his battle with Craig with Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson and more. He further suggested that getting a finish every time was not a feasible goal at all.
The college wrestling standout is dead set on taking over the middleweight division and taking on the top dogs. But all that has to happen in due time, as he feels he isn’t up for the challenge just yet. The 28-year-old continues his unbeaten run in UFC, and it would be interesting to see who he ends up fighting next. The timeline of his return rests in the hands of UFC, but a top 15 match-up isn’t out of the question.
