Daniel Cormier reacts to Bo Nickal’s criticism of his commentary during UFC 309: "Almost making excuses for him"
Daniel Cormier drew the ire of Bo Nickal for comments he made during the rising middleweight prospect's unanimous decision over Paul Craig at UFC 309 last weekend. The former NCAA wrestling champion claimed that 'DC' attempted to knock him down by claiming he wasn't ready to face Khamzat Chimaev.
The former double champ replied to those claims on Wednesday. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Cormier stated:
"Bo Nickal is a bit upset with the commentary during the fight last week... This one kind of took me a little bit by surprise because I do like Bo and I do believe that at some point he's going to be a champion. I think that he's a respectful guy so he's trying to say things in the nicest way that he possibly can, but I think he may have misunderstood what I'm trying to say."
Cormier continued:
"What I was more trying to say in this fight was let's not rush him into fights with people that are much more experienced. That is how good he has done in that short period of time. You know what's the craziest thing? After this weekend, right after the fight, people called me and said I was a Bo apologist. I was being apologetic for his performance, almost making excuses for him. That's crazy beacuse it's odd that a fighter can interpret it so much different than other people in the world."
Check out Daniel Cormier's full comments on Bo Nickal below:
Cormier added that he believes Nickal performed well at UFC 309. He did note, however, that the rising prospect has room for improvement and doesn't need to be rushed in his career.
Bo Nickal responds to comments from Daniel Cormier
While Bo Nickal was initially critical of Daniel Cormier's commentary during his fight, he recently responded to the former double champ's recent comments. The former NCAA wrestling champion took to X to agree that he has room to improve in his mixed martial arts career, posting:
"Absolutely agree. I have of room for improvement and I appreciate the clarification @dc_mma thank you 🙏🏻"
Check out Bo Nickal's response to Daniel Cormier below:
Nickal was booed by the crowd during the fight but ultimately emerged victorious and kept his perfect record intact. It was the toughest challenge of his career as it marked the first time he failed to get a finish in seven professional fights.