- Bo Nickal wasn’t happy about the way UFC 309’s commentary team called his fight against Paul Craig
- The unbeaten middleweight called out Daniel Cormier for saying he is not ready for a top contender like Khamzat Chimaev
Bo Nickal voiced his disappointment over the commentary during his fight against Paul Craig at UFC 309, especially Daniel Cormier’s comment.
Bo is not happy
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, Nickal, who beat Craig via decision, admitted that he felt the commentators, particularly DC, downplayed his victory, implying that he did not secure a decisive win.
According to Bo, Cormier’s remarks suggesting that he is not yet prepared to take on Khamzat Chimaev added fuel to the fire of his frustration.
“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.”
“To hear things like ‘DC’ say, ‘Oh, he’s not ready for Khamzat’, I think he was trying to be respectful, but also trying to like, I dunno, maybe set me down a peg. It was just weird to hear. But I just feel like that people that I know, that are in my corner and would give me honest, genuine feedback, they’re very happy with the victory. I was very happy with the victory, so that’s what I really care about at the end of the day. But it was a little disappointing to hear some of those comments from people I respect a lot,” he continued.
Bo Nickal wasn’t happy with the commentary team calling his fight:
“To hear things like [Daniel Cormier] say ‘oh he’s not ready for Khamzat’…
It was a little disappointing to hear some of those comments from people I respect a lot.”
🎥 @arielhelwanipic.twitter.com/WktyexS8SF
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 18, 2024
It was a controversial fight
Nickal’s friend and big fan president Donald Trump was in attendance when he fought Craig. However, instead of dominating his opponent, Nickal failed to put on a convincing performance in front of the POTUS and the fans.
As expected, the disappointed fans booed Nickal after he was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Nevertheless, the win saw Bo improving his wining streak to four fights in a row.
