Bo Nickal came into the UFC with the hype of an NCAA Division-1 wrestler showcasing incredible submission skills in his two DWCS appearances. Nowhere was Nickal’s grappling skills more evident than when he took on the greatest No-Gi grappler of all time Gordon Ryan back in 2019. Although he was eventually submitted via triangle choke, Nickal gave trouble to Ryan on the feet and even scored a suplex takedown on the multiple-time ADCC champion. That was a match that didn’t involve punching, kicking, kneeing or elbowing. If Bo Nickal could go so deep in grappling with Gordon Ryan, why didn’t he engage with Paul Craig at UFC 309? Former UFC middleweight and fight analyst Chael Sonnen wonders the same.

Bo Nickal‘s performance at UFC 309 left a lot of fans disappointed, as despite winning, he failed to mount a clear offensive against his Scottish counterpart. The fight between both grapplers was primarily a kickboxing match, with far and few big moments in between. The Penn State wrestling alum stated that he wanted to ‘keep the fight on the feet’ as a reason for not taking ‘Bear Jew’ down. However, following criticism for his lackluster performance and not using his strengths to dominate his opponent, Nickal stated that he would ‘take his opponents down’ in subsequent fights, in a conversation with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast.

Some say that Bo Nickal was afraid to engage with Paul Craig because of the latter’s BJJ credentials. Chael Sonnen begged to differ on that opinion in a breakdown on his YouTube channel. He also expressed his confusion at Nickal’s bid to wrestle only after he received criticism for the Paul Craig fight. “Bo is not scared to lose. Most people can’t relate to that. Most people would not go into the match against Gordon Ryan with no belt, no jiu-jitsu no one – just because they were offering it because they know what the outcome is going to be, and that in itself will stop them from competing. Bo was not like that.”, said Sonnen on his ‘Bad Guy Inc’ YouTube show.

‘The American Gangster’ continued, “And Bo went to that position with Gordon and had tremendous success for a very large amount of time. I am just trying to figure this out. I had let this go, this was behind us. I am now re-confused by the statement of Bo promising to take everybody else down.”

You can’t fault Chael Sonnen for experiencing confusion with regards to Bo Nickal, as the latter seems to be jumping back and forth with his words. On one hand, he called the fans in attendance ‘drunk’ for chanting “overrated” at him during the fight, and stated that he was satisfied with his performance. On the other hand, he said that he’d stick to his strengths of wrestling his opponents from his next fight onwards.

Bo Nickal promised to change up his game in his next fight

A three-time NCAA Division-1 champion and former Dan Hodge Trophy winner, Bo Nickal’s transition to MMA was met with high expectations. While he is undefeated with six finishes in seven wins, fans keep finding new ways of dunking on the All-American wrestler. So, it’s not surprising that they didn’t miss an opportunity to bash the Penn State alum after his decision win against Paul Craig at UFC 309.

However, Nickal seemed content with his performance against Paul Craig despite the criticism. “I dominated a veteran, a guy who has 26 fights, for three straight rounds with just using striking. I didn’t even use my biggest asset. I think people now are saying, ‘Oh, Bo, he can’t wrestle’ this or that. Bro, trust me, I can wrestle.” Nickal said to Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast. However, Nickal made it clear that he will use his wrestling in his upcoming matches – “So, you can guarantee that every single guy I’m going to be taking them down. There’s a very low chance — I’m not going to say zero because crazy things happen — I could slip on a banana peel or something. Very low chance that they’re taking me down, and if they do I’m getting up guaranteed.”

Bo Nickal acknowledges that he’s still growing in the sport, and his confidence can sometimes be perceived as arrogance. Regardless, some see his confidence in beating a top contender like Khamzat Chimaev as misplaced, especially after his performance against Paul Craig. Regardless, Nickal in undefeated in seven fights with six finishes; five of those coming in the first round.

What do you think of Bo Nickal’s future in the UFC? Do you think he’ll break into the top 10 by the end of 2025? Let us know in the comments down below.