Bo Nickal is proud of his “flawless victory” at UFC 309.
That said, not everyone was impressed by his performance against longtime veteran Paul Craig, despite the fact that Nickal swept “BearJew” on the judges’ scorecards. That includes former UFC heavyweight champion and commentator Daniel Cormier.
“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 told Ariel Helwani. “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.”
Defeating Craig pushed Trump’s favorite fighter to 7-0 with six finishes.
“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,” Bo Nickal continued. “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.”
Cormier refuses to apologize for his commentary, which has come under fire in recent years for “incredibly biased” slants. To be fair, Bo Nickal — like fellow undefeated middleweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev — faces increased scrutiny because of his never-ending hype.
"It was a little disappointing to hear some of those comments from people I respect a lot." – Bo Nickal on the UFC commentary team's criticism during his win over Paul Craig. pic.twitter.com/22psfg9s4N
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 18, 2024