How many of you remember Bo Nickal’s first UFC fight? No, not the Jamie Pickett fight at UFC 285. We are talking about the Contender Series fight from all the way back in August 2022. That performance could have convinced any promoter to sign Nickal on the spot. Surprisingly enough, it was not good enough for Dana White. And this irked the now 3-0 UFC star. Why did ‘Uncle Dana’ want more from the middleweight?

The story behind it goes back to his very first MMA fight. Bo Nickal got called out by a fighter from Florida to get into an MMA fight with him. And being the prodigy that he was, Nickal managed to knock out his opponent just 30 seconds into the fight. A moment that truly went viral. In an interview with Demetrious Johnson, he said,  ” I was like, ‘Oh, that was crazy,’ and it got a… it got a bunch of views and a bunch of attention. And then, everybody was calling after that—PFL, Bellator, ONE, UFC—and I was like, ‘Dang, like, what’s the… I’m… want to know, like, this is… I haven’t even been fighting for a year,’ you know?”

When the UFC comes knocking, you don’t say ‘no,’ and neither did Bo. So, Nickal became a part of the Dana White Contender Series. The young prospect won his very first fight with ease (in 1:02 of round 1); however, Dana White still wanted to test him further, and this drew the ire of the fighter. “So, my first fight on Contender Series… I took the guy down, choked him out in about a minute, and Dana was basically like, ‘You know, he’s only 2-0; I want to see some more.’ I was a little mad about it initially because I was like, ‘Ah, dang, I finished this guy in a minute. Like, what could I have done more?'”

Well, Nickal did ‘more’ in the next bout. Well, actually, less. He choked out his opponent Donovan Beard at the 0:52 mark of round 1, beating the clock on his previous performance by a solid ten seconds. And that was convincing enough for Dana White.

Since then, Bo Nickal has been a force to be reckoned with at 185 lbs. The American fighter most recently extended his undefeated MMA record to 6-0 with a submission victory over Cody Brundage on April 13 at UFC 300. He is also a special project for the promotion since he has not had a single prelim card appearance in his three bouts with the promotion. His consistent main card appearances have even irked some of the senior fighters but Dana White seems to be going all in on Nickal.

But do you know what turns a young prospect into a true phenom ahead in his career? The ability to never be satisfied with mediocrity. Bo Nickal is one of those fighters who is looking for perfection in his art. So despite winning his fight against Cody Brundage, which many thought was a decent showing, Bo Nickal has clearly shown disappointment over his own performance.

Why does Bo Nickal regret his performance at UFC 300?

Rarely has a fighter been seen booing himself in the Octagon, but that was the attitude Bo Nickal adopted after submitting Cody Brundage at UFC 300. Nickal, who before his appearance on the pay-per-view had finished all his opponents in less than three minutes, had a hard time beating Brundage, who came into his first-numbered event with a promotional record of 4–4. Dissatisfied by his performance, the middleweight prospect vented his frustrations on an Instagram post.

Thanking his fans for the support while venting out his disappointment, Bo Nickal wrote, “My performance wasn’t perfect, which is my standard, so I’m a bit upset with myself. But, with that being said, I am extremely grateful for my team and all the work we put in this camp. They sacrifice a lot to help me, and I’m very appreciative. I will continue to learn, grow, and do everything I need to do to reach my goals. I know and trust God’s plan and purpose in all of this craziness, so I definitely appreciate the sharpening of my mind, body, and spirit in this process. Thank you all for your support. See y’all again soon. God bless.”

After his victory, even though he suggested fights with Anthony Henandez or Roman Kopylov, now he is gearing up to face a fierce veteran in Paul Craig at UFC 309. Craig is going through the worst moment of his career by having a 1-4 record in his last five fights. The 36-year-old Scotsman lost his place in the top 15 at middleweight after being knocked out in two rounds by Caio Borralho at UFC 301. So he surely would be looking to turn things around. What do you think? Who will win the fight? Let us know in the comments.