Written by NEW YORK – “Boo”? How about “Bo”?
Bo Nickal said (with a smile) the sound radiated at him by nearly 20,000 fans at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday could be up for interpretation.
“I was pumped,” Nickal told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “They were like, ‘Bo-ooooo.’ How many times does MSG chant your name for that long? So I’m pumped about it. It was great.”
One of the most highly-touted up-and-comers in the UFC, Nickal’s performance was seen by some as underwhelming due to its lack of excitement. Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) and opponent Paul Craig (17-9-1 MMA, 9-9-1 UFC) largely point-fought throughout their lackluster affair that ended in a unanimous decision win for the former.
But for Nickal, he passed the self-assessment. The former Pennsylvania State University wrestling standout was happy to go 15 minutes for the first time as a pro MMA fighter.
“Definitely, it’s way better for me and my development,” Nickal said. “If you look at my cage time and what I had before this, I over-doubled it, for sure. That’s something that for me I’ve really cornered myself with this reputation of a guy who finishes them and destroys them – because that’s when the expectation is set. My expectation is to compete to the best of my ability at 100 percent effort. It’s not anything to do with the result. It doesn’t matter: decisions, submissions, knockouts. I’m definitely not disappointed with this result. I was way more disappointed with my last fight and I subbed the guy. This fight for me was picture-perfect.”
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It’s not all about losses for Nickal. It’s more about the process. Not shooting for a single takedown through three rounds of fighting was a procedural milestone for him.
“Honestly, I don’t think I ever imagined that. But it’s a really cool thing and I think it’s a great testament to my coaches and my team, all of my coaches. … If I didn’t have these people, I just wouldn’t have the skills and the base I do right now, so I’m very fortunate to be around those guys. I think for it’s something I feel a lot of excitement in because it’s not something I saw myself doing previously. Now, I know I can fight that way if I need to.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.