‘You can guarantee’… Bo Nickal reveals game plan for all future fights after striking-heavy win at UFC 309

Bo Nickal insists he'll return to his wrestling roots in 2025.

The middleweight prospect shocked everyone when he employed a remarkably tough game plan to defeat BJJ specialist Paul Craig at UFC 309 earlier this month.

Bo Nickal was booed for his performance, which wasn't what anyone expected from the three-time NCAA Division I national wrestling champion, who is widely considered one of the best wrestlers in MMA today.

The 28-year-old insists his performance against Craig was a one-off and vowed that all his future opponents will have to fend off his elite-level wrestling takedowns.

READ MORE: UFC Legend Holds Bo Nickal's Corner Responsible For Poor Performance At UFC 309

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Bo Nickal looks back on the biggest victory of his career

Despite being a unanimous decision, the hype surrounding Bo Nickal has died down somewhat after many people concluded that he is not ready to face the upper echelon at 185 pounds.

Chants of “overrated” rang out in New York's Madison Square Garden, but the rising star insists he was not bothered by the negative reactions to his performance.

“I wasn't really impressed with it,” Nickal said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman. “When I look at my performance, there are certainly many things I could do better.

“But I'm also very happy that I can sit in the cage for 15 minutes. If you look at my total Octagon time before this fight, it's way less than that. So I've doubled down on my experience in the cage, which is something I'm very grateful for, and it's something I think will pay off in the long run.

“My goal has always been to become a UFC champion, pound for pound the number one fighter in the world. So when I call out guys like Khamzat [Chimaev]that's because I think he's really good, and I want to fight the best guys.

“I think this last fight, even though people weren't crazy about the performance, was a big step in the right direction. I dominated a veteran, a 26-fight guy, for three straight rounds, just by punching. I haven't even used my greatest asset. I think now people are saying, 'Oh, Bo, he can't wrestle.' Bro, believe me, I can wrestle.

“I want to continue to dominate. I look at my potential for matchups in the future, and with Paul Craig his best position is away from him. So I didn't think this was the best situation to put him in his best position, but there really aren't any guys like that.

“You can guarantee any man I go will take them down. There is a very small chance. I'm not going to say zero because crazy things happen. I could slide on a banana peel or something. There's very little chance they'll take me down, and if they do, I'm guaranteed to get up.”

What's next for Bo Nickal?

Bo Nickal's big win over Paul Craig wasn't enough to earn him a spot in the middleweight top 15, but it seems very likely he will rise through the rankings in 2025.

The 7-0 prospect's next opponent will almost certainly appear in the rankings. It remains to be seen who exactly that will be, but there will certainly be a few fighters willing to go the extra mile.

Nickal has the name, fan base and undefeated record that will appeal to fighters stuck at the bottom of the 185-pound rankings.

Michel Pereira, Jack Hermansson, Anthony Hernandez and Paulo Costa will likely be in the running for Nickal's next fight.

For now, he is enjoying some time off and waiting for a call from the UFC bosses.

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