Daniel Cormier responds to Bo Nickal’s scathing criticism of UFC 309 commentary

UFC middleweight Bo Nickal was not happy with Daniel Cormier's commentary during his slow win over Paul Craig.

Bo Nickal earned a unanimous decision victory over Paul Craig last Saturday at UFC 309 in New York City. Despite scoring the biggest win of his career, the crowd was not happy with Nickal's approach to the fight, which saw him showered with boos at the legendary Madison Square Garden.

As the promotion unfolded, Cormier said Nickal wasn't ready for a middleweight of Khamzat Chimaev's caliber after Nickal and Chimaev traded blows over the past year. Nickal, a former two-time NCAA national champion wrestler, made no attempt to defeat Craig.

Photos by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC, Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

After hearing Daniel Cormier's comments during the UFC 309 broadcast, Nickal aired his grievances during a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show. He said he was “disappointed” in Cormier's criticism and the lack of positivity he exuded during his fight with Craig.

Cormier has since explained his toughness during the UFC 309 broadcast, and why he believes Nickal isn't ready for the top middleweight contenders.

Daniel Cormier explains the harsh criticism of Bo Nickal during UFC 309 commentary

In a recent video upload to his YouTube channel, Cormier clarified his stance on Nickal's performance.

“This surprised me a little bit, because I like Bo, and I really believe he will be a champion at some point. I just think he's a respectful man. So he tries to say things as nice as he can, but I think he might have misunderstood what I was trying to say,” Cormier said. “What I was trying to say more in this fight is, let's not rush him into fights with people who have a lot more experience. He did that well in a short time.

“You know what's the craziest thing? After this weekend, right after the fight, people called me and said I was a Bo apologist. I apologized for his actions and almost made excuses for him,” Cormier continued. “That's crazy, because it's strange that a fighter can interpret it so much differently than other people in the world. I thought he did very well. I have no problem with Bo Nickal. I believe he is doing well. I have no problem with performance. I thought he fought very well, but there is room for improvement. Let's just take our time, we don't need to rush it.' (h/t MMA Junkie)

UFC CEO Dana White made similar comments immediately following Nickal's win. During the UFC 309 post-fight press conference, White revealed that he and the matchmakers are in constant contact with Nickal about his fighting style and career trajectory.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Bo Nickal's UFC rise is stalling after sluggish UFC 309 win

Nickal remains undefeated in his professional MMA career with the victory over Craig. The former Dana White's Contender Series standout has recent victories over Val Woodburn, Cody Brundage and Jamie Pickett.

Before making the full-time transition to MMA, Nickal was a superstar in collegiate wrestling. At Penn State, he captured multiple NCAA Division-I national championships and was considered a blue-chip MMA prospect.

Despite Nickal's slow last two fights, he remains a top middleweight prospect and a potential future title contender. But Cormier's comments show that Nickal still has a long way to go before he transitions into the middleweight title mix.

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