Bo Nickal now knows what it’s like to go the distance in a professional MMA bout and was “fired up” about his performance, although the New York crowd disagreed.
Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) stepped into the cage at UFC 309 inside Madison Square Garden to face the toughest test of his career yet, Paul Craig. The middleweight bout went the distance, and Nickal recorded the first unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) win of his career by shutting out Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC).
With the crowd chanting “U-S-A” to begin the fight, Nickal calmly moved forward, studying Craig’s movement. Leg kicks were Nickal’s first weapon of choice. Craig responded with a solid leg kick of his own, and then searched for a few head and body kicks.
Nickal darted in and out with overhand punches as the opening round continued, looking to land a big haymaker. Craig stayed light on his feet, continuing to offer kicks without setups.
Craig talked and taunted Nickal early in Round 2, but it didn’t cause a deviation in Nickal’s approach. The overhand darts continued from Nickal when he saw the opening, while Craig kept offering single kicks at a time. In the final minute, Nickal connected with a clean left hand upstairs to quiet the few boo birds that began chirping.
In the third, the fighters appeared to be having fun in the cage, even though the crowd wasn’t loving the action. At one point, Nickal completely froze for a few seconds, and then smiled after Craig didn’t react.
Nickal would get back to his offense though, and he cracked Craig with a big overhand left, opening a cut on the right eye. Although Craig appeared rocked, Nickal didn’t hunt too hard for a finish.
The MSG fans weren’t happy after the Nickal-Craig fight #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/baO6lgsmHX
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 17, 2024
While the crowd expressed their displeasure with Nickal’s performance, the standout wrestler, who coincidentally didn’t attempt a single takedown in the fight, said he was “fired up” about the fight.
Nickal, 28, had never reached the scorecards before, and in fact, never saw a third round before UFC 309. He viewed the fight as a learning and growing expereince while remaining undefeated.
Craig, 36, was a solid test for Nickal, but now walks away as a loser of three straight fights.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 309 results include:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
