"He's in a tough spot" - Michael Chiesa makes opinion clear on Bo Nickal's UFC 309 performance against Paul Craig (Exclusive)
Michael Chiesa recently shared his insights on Bo Nickal’s performance against Paul Craig at UFC 309. Nickal dominated the striking exchanges against Craig last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City, ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory.
Despite a perfect 30-27 scorecard from all three judges, the American wrestling phenom faced jeers from the crowd, who loudly chanted "overrated." However, 'Maverick' believes Nickal displayed remarkable composure, adopting a strategically intelligent approach against an opponent with formidable grappling skills.
During an exclusive interview with James Lynch for Sportskeeda MMA, Chiesa defended Nickal's gameplan against Craig and acknowledged that while the fight may not have been the most thrilling for fans, its entertainment value was secondary to meeting the fighter's tactical objectives:
"It's just kind of like for Bo; he's in a tough spot... I myself would have liked to see him go for the grappling, go for the takedown, get the fight to the mat, and make things interesting. Could you blame him for wanting to stay out of Paul Craig's wheelhouse? I think that he fought a very smart fight."
He added:
"While it wasn't the most appealing fight to the fans, you've got to go out there and win, man. You've got to go out there and win by any means necessary."
Check out Michael Chiesa's comments below (12:20):
With the first decision victory of his career, Nickal improved his perfect professional record to 7-0, with four of those wins coming by submission and two by knockout.
When Michael Chiesa revealed he secretly requested to fight Bo Nickal at UFC 290
During his media day appearance before his fight with Kevin Holland at UFC 291 in July 2023, Michael Chiesa revealed that he had approached UFC executives and expressed his interest in stepping in to fight Bo Nickal on short notice at UFC 290:
"[Holland] wasn’t the only guy throwing his hat into the ring because when Bo Nickal was looking for an opponent, I reached out to Dana [White] and Mick [Maynard] and was like, 'I’m in shape, and I’ll still fight Holland.' I just don’t really do it on social media. I just reach out to the powers that be. He wasn’t the only one who was looking for an extra check in July."
Check out Michael Chiesa's comments below (3:06):
Nickal was initially slated to fight Tresean Gore at UFC 290, but when Gore withdrew just days before the event due to an injury, the undefeated wrestler was left without an opponent. The UFC ultimately found a replacement in Val Woodburn, who stepped in on just one week's notice.