Bo Nickal can’t seem to stop taking L’s despite winning. The NCAA Division-1 wrestler had to prove his worth twice on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract. He’s finished all but one opponent in his path, but fans seem to love to hate him. This is also perhaps, because Nickal has finished ‘low-tier’ opponents in his undefeated run, but failed to do so against the Scotsman in his latest outing. Despite winning against Paul Craig at UFC 309, the American fighter failed to win over fans with his performance.

Known for being a finisher, Nickal failed to cause much damage to his opponent, let alone put away the veteran Scottish fighter, leading fans to chant ‘overrated’, most likely directed at Bo Nickal. Bo Nickal’s UFC 309 also cast doubts on whether the American fighter would be able to beat Khamzat Chimaev, as Nickal previously issued many challenges to the Chechen phenom. His performance even raised doubts in the minds of UFC veterans Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen who weighed in their thoughts on his performance on their YouTube show.

Bo Nickal will have to prove himself a bit more in the division feels Sonnen

During his fight at Madison Square Garden, Daniel Cormier was present in the commentary team. The former champion has always been a fan of Nickal and has praised his performance. However, during the fight with Craig, he seemed unimpressed and shared his honest opinion on the whole. According to him, Nickal needs some time to get a title fight next. Echoing the same sentiments Chael Sonnen also raised the same on their ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ podcast. But the point is who will the undefeated fighter face next in his career?

Despite Nickal wanting to fight the guys in the top 10, Sonnen doesn’t quite feel the same. While speaking to ‘DC’, Sonnen pointed out that his performance at UFC 309 might hamper his ability to get good fights. He said, “I believe that Bo, because he underwhelmed [us with his performance], I believe that Bo has passed back that invincibility card.” There was once a time where fighters refused to fight Bo Nickal because of his ‘invincible’ aura, according to Chael Sonnen. Sonnen also talked about how Nickal’s aura landed him on prime spots in PPV main cards.

Sonnen then continued, “And I don’t believe that Bo is the boogie monster anymore. I believe that he’s going to be called out by somebody. Now whether that’s a top 12 or 14 through 20. We’ll see but I do think he’ll be called out and I’d like to see that match happen. Whoever sees that skill and thinks I can beat him. I think they ought to be able to have the opportunity.”

Nickal after his victory against veteran fighter Paul Craig faced a lot of criticism for the way he approached the fight. Despite being a master in wrestling the 28-year-old did not even try to take down ‘Bear Jew’ once in the fight. Of course, many suspect the main reason Nickal didn’t take down Craig was because the veteran fighter himself is a master grappler himself. However, Nickal after the fight took to his X account to point out the only regret he has in the fight.

Bo Nickal makes an honest confession about his fight at UFC 309 against Craig

Facing a seasoned opponent, Nickal wasted no time asserting his presence in the Octagon. From the opening bell, he displayed his trademark explosiveness, quickly closing the distance and showing exceptional conditioning. However, the only thing Nickal did not demonstrate was his grappling mastery, maintaining top control, and threatening submissions at will. His ability to chain wrestling with precision ground-and-pound has often left his opponent overwhelmed. But this time he adopted a completely different approach raising a lot of questions among the fans.

Nickal made his reasoning for taking a different approach in reply to a fan who questioned him about it on X. He tweeted, “I was winning the striking and I was happy to get experience in the cage doing something I’ve never done before. My only (small) regret is not being more aggressive in the 3rd round after I hurt him. I need to build a better system to attack when my opponent is hurt,”. Despite the criticism, Nickal’s composure and strategic execution make it clear that he’s evolving with every fight. He is constantly trying to add layers to his skill set that make him a dangerous contender in the middleweight division.

The 28-year-old might turn out to be one of the future contenders for winning the title. However, the big question is whether will he be able to repeat his dominance against tougher opponents. Who do you think Bo Nickal will fight next in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.