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‘Overrated’ Bo Nickal Disappointed by Cormier’s Pro-Khamzat Commentary During UFC 309 Fight

'Overrated' Bo Nickal Disappointed by Cormier's Pro-Khamzat Commentary During UFC 309 Fight Bo Nickal was proud of the performance he delivered at UFC 309. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoyed watching it. Nickal’s…

Bo Nickal was proud of the performance he delivered at UFC 309. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoyed watching it.

Nickal’s return to the Octagon on Saturday night was a bit of a mixed bag. Sure, the three-time NCAA Division I national champion earned a fairly decisive victory, moving to 7-0 in his mixed martial arts career, but he definitely didn’t make any new fans with the lackluster performance. Instead of utilizing his world-class wrestling, Nickal opted to keep the fight standing and show off his evolution as a well-rounded fighter.

It was a bold move and one that proved to pay off, but the lack of fireworks — or really anything of note — had fans relentlessly booing Nickal and dubbing him overrated.

The commentary team wasn’t exactly kind to Nickal either. Especially Daniel Cormier who made his thoughts on Nickal’s performance and his chances against someone like Khamzat Chimaev quite clear.

Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Nickal snapped back at the negative comments by the UFC 309 commentary team and defended his decision to stand and trade with Craig.

“When I watched the fight back, something that was a little disappointing was the commentary and just kinda hearing the way they were looking at the fight,” Nickal said. “It made me feel like they didn’t really know what was going on. Anybody that I’ve talked to, the people that I trust and shoot straight with me, they’re like, ‘Dude, you shut that guy out, total domination, it was a flawless victory’” (h/t MMA Mania).

Truth be told, Nickal’s victory was far from dominant. According to the UFC Stats website, Nickal only landed six more total strikes than Craig throughout the 15-minute affair, but landed at a significantly higher clip, connecting on 63% of his strikes while ‘Bearjew’ only landed 37% of his.

However, Craig also threw 45 more total strikes than Nickal, so clearly he was the busier fighter on the night.

Dana White acknowledges that Bo Nickal Still ‘Needs Work’

Daniel Cormier and the MSG crowd weren’t the only ones critical of Nickal’s performance. During the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White acknowledged that the former Nittany Lion still needs a lot of work before he can achieve his lofty goals.

“Well, you know, we’ve had these discussions with Bo. Bo needs work,” White told the media. “Bo is an up-and-coming guy. I know he has big aspirations and wants to move faster than he should. But, tonight showed that — I mean, he still dominated, he won the whole fight — but he’s got work to do. It’s alright, we’ll move him. When you’re in a position like Bo is, there’s a lot of expectations.”

Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s Wealth Fund Chief Draw Attention at Star-Studded UFC Night

President-elect Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night to take in all the action at UFC…

President-elect Donald Trump returned to Madison Square Garden on Saturday night to take in all the action at UFC 309, and he had plenty of company in the stands.

Joining the 45th and now 47th POTUS inside the world’s most famous arena were Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, Kid Rock, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and of course, Dana White.

President-elect Donald Trump has arrived at MSG for #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/vVOjIkOsJW

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) November 17, 2024

Trump was also spotted on camera speaking with the head of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Yasir Al-Rumayya.

For those unfamiliar, the PIF is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, which is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and governed by Al-Rumayyan. According to a report from Reuters, the PIF was estimated to have about $925 billion in assets in July.

The PIF has become a major player in global sports over the last several years. Aside from owning the Newcastle United football club, the fund was a major backer of LIV Golf and leveraged a merger with the PGA which is still being negotiated.

Saudi Arabia also hosts biannual WWE events and has seemingly taken over the world of boxing, putting together some of the biggest possible fights like Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou, Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, and Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.

‘Bones’ hands Donald Trump His UFC Belt following third-round KO of Stipe Miocic

While the night gave us some pretty solid fights, including a brutal third-round body kick KO in the long-awaited main event between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic, the entire night felt more like a love letter to Trump and his improbable defeat of Kamala Harris to once again take up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

‘Bones’ had the most egregious display of admiration for Trump, imitating his YMCA dance following his 28th career win and even going so far as to hand the 34-time convicted felon the UFC heavyweight championship belt.

NFL Legend Sparks UFC GOAT Discussion With Jon Jones and Kitchen Appliances

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is closing the debate on Jon Jones‘ GOAT status. On Saturday night, undisputed…

NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe is closing the debate on Jon Jones‘ GOAT status.

On Saturday night, undisputed UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones returned to the Octagon nearly two years after his title-winning performance against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. This time around, ‘Bones’ was tasked with taking out consensus heavyweight GOAT Stipe Miocic as the two combat sports titans headed up a loaded UFC 309 card in Madison Square Garden.

Though it took Jones a little longer to dispatch Miocic than it did Gane, ‘Bones’ was nothing short of dominant in their heavyweight headliner, finishing the two-time titleholder in the third round with a vicious spinning back kick to the body.

Not long after ‘Bones’ handed his title belt to President-elect Donald Trump who was sitting cageside for the main card, Sharpe called for an official end to the great GOAT debate on social media.

“The GOAT UFC fighter is JON ‘BONES’ JONES,” Sharpe wrote on X. “The pound 4 pound best fighter is also JON ‘BONES’ JONES. Please no more questions about who it is. It’s him and it’s not close. Go debate with your kitchen appliances.”

After UFC 309, is Jon Jones’ GOAT Status undeniable?

With a 28-1 record, two world title reigns, and wins over some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts history, it’s hard to argue against Jon Jones being the greatest fighter of all time.

Of course, there will always be those who discredit Jones’ work inside the Octagon by pointing at his shenanigans outside of it, but even Jones’ biggest of haters are going to have a hard time denying the label that Sharpe and many others have given him.

After his decisive victory over Stipe Miocic in New York City, is Jon Jones the undisputed GOAT of MMA?

Tom Aspinall Responds to Jon Jones Calling Him an A**hole “Couldn’t care less what he thinks.”

UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall has responded to heavyweight king Jon Jones calling him an a**hole. Simply, Aspinall…

UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall has responded to heavyweight king Jon Jones calling him an a**hole. Simply, Aspinall does not care.

Tom Aspinall

The UK-born heavyweight quickly made a name for himself with his exceptional finishing ability. Aspinall won his first five UFC fights in dominant fashion, with four of those victories coming by first-round stoppage.

His rise through the ranks was briefly halted by a knee injury in a fight against Curtis Blaydes in 2022. However, Tom Aspinall made a triumphant return in 2023, defeating Marcin Tybura by first-round TKO. This victory set him up for an interim heavyweight title shot against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295, which Aspinall won via knockout in just over a minute.

Aspinall successfully defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch at UFC 304, again winning by first-round knockout.

Speaking in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, he explained:

“I couldn’t care less what he thinks. Or anybody else for that matter… Jon Jones calling me an a**hole? Whatever.”

Tom Aspinall has long been waiting for a match against the UFC heavyweight division king Jon Jones. On Jones negotiating for more money, Aspinall explained:

“I think he should be compensated well. I agree. I’m a damn dangerous fight for him. The most dangerous of his career, by far. And he knows it.

“I think he secretly wants the fight. Because he has a huge ego, which he should.

Jon Jones selects Francis Ngannou, Daniel Cormier, and Tom Aspinall for his dream team

Tom Aspinall Responds to Jon Jones Calling Him an A**hole “Couldn’t care less what he thinks.”

UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall has responded to heavyweight king Jon Jones calling him an a**hole. Simply, Aspinall…

UFC heavyweight interim champion Tom Aspinall has responded to heavyweight king Jon Jones calling him an a**hole. Simply, Aspinall does not care.

Tom Aspinall

Aspinall successfully defended his interim title against Curtis Blaydes in a rematch at UFC 304, again winning by first-round knockout.

Speaking in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, he explained:

“I couldn’t care less what he thinks. Or anybody else for that matter… Jon Jones calling me an a**hole? Whatever.”

Tom Aspinall has long been waiting for a match against the UFC heavyweight division king Jon Jones. On Jones negotiating for more money, Aspinall explained:

“I think he should be compensated well. I agree. I’m a damn dangerous fight for him. The most dangerous of his career, by far. And he knows it.

“I think he secretly wants the fight. Because he has a huge ego, which he should.

Tom Aspinall on the Jon Jones Unification Match “This fight is going to happen. Throw me a pair of gloves.”

The UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been long waiting to hear any confirmation from the UFC regarding…

The UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been long waiting to hear any confirmation from the UFC regarding a Jon Jones title unification match. For weeks, the heavyweight king ‘Bones’ Jones has been claiming he will not fight Aspinall, instead he aims to retire. But Aspinall recently revealed

Tom Aspinall Updates on Jon Jones Fight

After a series of submission and KO/TKO wins in the UFC’s heavyweight division, the UK-born Tom Aspinall was able to earn the UFC interim heavyweight title. Jon ‘Bones’ Jones sat out during that time, while holding the UFC heavyweight title, due to an injury. But now both Aspinall and Jones have one title defense each and have yet to unify the titles.

At UFC 309, Jon Jones earned a TKO win against the former champion Stipe Miocic. Leading up to the fight, the US-born Jones refused to acknowledge a possible fight against Aspinall instead claiming he will retire. After the fight, he said he would be happy to meet the interim champion for the right amount of money.

Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

Behind the scenes, Aspinall spoke with UFC brass Hunter Campbell and Dana White and he claims he is optimistic about this future and to expect big news soon.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, he explained how he felt after a meeting with Dana White and Hunter Campbell, he said:

“This fight is goping to happen… A lot of negotiating to do, I’m very optimistic. Throw me a pair of gloves and I’m in.“

Fans have been clamoring to finally see Jon Jones meet Tom Aspinall in the octagon. With no injuries and a clear schedule, there is nothing blocking this heavyweight fight. On Jones’ UFC 309 title win, Aspinall said:

“Jon Jones did Jon Jones things… Standard procedure Jon Jones. Stipe… 42-year-old Stipe just didn’t have the legs anymore… Jones is brilliant in MMA, one of the best to ever do it… Me at 31 years old and Stipe at 42 years old- we’re not even in the same stratosphere… I am not a 42-year-old Stipe and Jon knows it.

“I got see Jones fight up close, and as a future opponent this was some information that was very interesting to me.”