Bo Nickal — President-elect Donald Trump’s new favorite fighter (sorry, Colby) — put on a show at UFC 309 this evening (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) from inside Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., successfully taking 17-fight Octagon veteran (and unpredictable submission specialist), Paul Craig, to the judges scorecards.
Trump, sitting ringside, had to be pleased.
Nickal — with his meteoric rise through the Middleweight ranks — was poised to showcase his skills on the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) stage in “The Big Apple.” Craig, though, was a super dangerous opponent, known for his ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
And Nickal’s cautious gameplan was evidence of that reality.
Bo Nickal defeats Paul Craig via forgettable unanimous decision pic.twitter.com/w3mQ4w1PFz
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 17, 2024
Nickal got the action started with a low kick, but it was pretty clear that he was a little tight in the opening moments — the pressure must have been tremendous. But, that’s a somewhat normal feeling for such a decorated amateur wrestler.
The crowd started to chant, “Bo, Bo, Bo!!!” and midway through the opening round it appeared that he was beginning to loosen up. Craig began to check the leg kicks and then counter effectively with some of his own. Craig started to stalk Nickal, looking to trap him in the corner, but he circled out and continued to try and figure out the towering Scot.
Nickal faked an ankle pick and landed a nice left hook. And that was pretty much it for the opening frame — super pedestrian from both sides (particularly Nickal). Craig, though, was having a blast beween rounds — certainly appeared like the more comfortable fighter in the cage.
When the second round started, Craig continued to chase Nickal, talking trash and waving his hands, hoping he would come forward and exchange. Nickal spammed the left hand, landing a nice shot over the top before Craig spun off the cage.
The fans were becoming increasingly impatient, counting down the seconds as the “under” 1.5 rounds prop bet got wiped off the board. Another big left hand landed for Nickal down the stretch, but he was clearly puzzled — or just being overly cautious — heading into the final frame.
Heading into the final frame, it was unclear who was ahead on the judges scorecards.
Round three played out pretty much like the first 10 minutes (and, just like the first 10 minutes, featured ZERO wrestling), but then with less than three minutes on the clock, Nickal drilled him with a hard shot. Craig covered up, clearly stung, but Nickal froze, refusing to open up and go for a finish. Nickal landed a solid body shot as the final seconds melted off the clock.
Final result: Nickal def. Craig via unanimous decision
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