An MMA Thanksgiving: 2024 All-Turkey Team

SPECTATORS AT MSG

It felt as though Bo Nickal could do no right in the eyes of many fans present at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Perhaps they were expecting him to stick his head directly into the lion’s mouth and see what happened, his burgeoning mixed martial arts career be damned.

A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and three-time national champion at Penn State University, Nickal cleared his highest hurdle to date when he took a unanimous decision from former British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder Paul Craig in their three-round middleweight showcase. All three judges scored it 30-27 for the can’t-miss prospect, who improved to 7-0 while going the distance for the first time as a pro. The crowd let its displeasure with his performance be known, a cascade of boos enveloping Nickal in the immediate aftermath.

To be fair, it was not a visually appealing contest. Nickal switched stances, let fly with overhands from both sides and conducted business entirely on the feet, choosing to avoid the Scotsman’s notoriously venomous guard. In fact, he did not attempt a single takedown for the first time in his career. Why would he? Any idiot can understand the thought process. Nickal and his team correctly deduced that the greatest threat would involve engaging “Bearjew” on the ground. Craig had his moments—body kicks were his most effective weapon—but lacked the speed and athleticism necessary to deal with the undefeated American Top Team rep. Nickal opened a cut near the Scotsman’s right eye with an overhand left in the third round and kept his nose in front for the duration. By the time it was over, he had outstruck Craig by narrow margins in all three rounds. Still-developing fighters like Nickal have to weigh the risks against the rewards and often take the path of least resistance. Victory trumps all.

Nevertheless, the ungracious knuckleheads at MSG expressed their disapproval while Joe Rogan conducted his post-fight interview. Nickal took it all in stride.

“Honestly, I feel great,” he said. “I went out there and dominated for 15 minutes. These guys want to see blood. They expect me to knock everybody out in 25 seconds or choke them out in a minute, and the reality is, these guys are all professional fighters that have been training over a decade. I’ve been in this [sport for] two and a half, three years. I’m fired up about that performance. I thought that was an amazing performance. I dominated him. I cut him. I think if we’d have gone two more rounds, I would have eventually gotten the finish, but I was happy with it. Paul Craig has 26 pro fights—I’ve got six—and I whooped him for 15 minutes, so I’m fired up.”

For whatever reason, sports fans love to build up people so they can tear them down. Nickal was regarded as one of the top young talents in the sport ahead of his encounter with Craig. If anything, he boosted his stock by proving he could go the distance against a dangerous veteran with 13 submission victories on his resume. We could all benefit by adopting some patience and not setting unattainable expectations. The Bo Nickals of the world deserve a longer leash from the buying public and room to grow on a fight-to-fight basis. As we found out yet again, not every fight can be a balls-to-the-wall spectacle for spectators.

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