Penn State wrestling great and three-time NCAA national champion Bo Nickal was in action again at UFC 309 on Saturday, November 16, at Madison Square Garden, defeating fellow grappler Paul Craig by way of a unanimous decision.

Nickal moved to a perfect 7-0 in the UFC, however, he snapped his six-fight finish streak as the bout needed all three rounds to declare a winner.

How It Happened

Walking out to a thundering New York City crowd and a remix of the coveted “Kernkraft 400,” Nickal stepped into the cage as a -1200 favorite over his opponent, who lost four of his last five fights prior, making him once again a massive favorite in his young and prosperous UFC career.

As the first round started, both fighters stood at the middle of the octogan attempting to measure each other up, as only a handful of strikes were thrown inside of the first minute of action. After a “We Are” chant erupted in the sold-out crowd, both fighters upped the aggression, with Craig landing a series of damaging kicks to Nickal’s legs. No further significant damage occurred in the remainder of the first round, showcasing a much slower first-round offensive performance from Nickal than usual.

With the second round underway, Nickal kept the fight on his feet, beginning to land precise punches and kicks to the head and body of Craig, however taking reciprocating damage from lower body kicks on behalf of the Scottish fighter. The second round finished with both fighters still unsure how to attack the other as Nickal and Craig were believed to be deadlocked 19-19 on the unofficial scorecard.

Nickal began the third round in unfamiliar territory, as the fighter had never fought past the second round in his career. As the minutes ticked on, Nickal feinted to what would be his first takedown attempt of the bout, however the Nittany Lion elected to keep the stand-up battle going. With three minutes left in the final round, a cascade of boos poured in from the once energetic audience, expressing their displeasure for the rather lackluster fight. Shortly thereafter, Nickal rocked Craig with a stiff punch, backing up the opponent to the wall of the cage, although nothing came of the vulnerable position. As the fight ran through the final seconds, an additional “overrated” chant echoed through the arena, with the bout headed to decision.

As both fighters stood together in the center of the octogan, ring announced Bruce Buffer declared Nickal the winner by unanimous decision.

What’s Next?

Nickal spoke with Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview, commenting on his domination over the full 15-minute fight, saying he was “fired up and happy” with his performance against Craig.

This time, Nickal made no remarks on who he would like his next opponent to be, leaving much to the imagination.