Bo Nickal OK with sluggish strategy to high, needs first UFC title battle ‘to seem like a masterclass’

Bo Nickal needs to be an simple UFC champion.

Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) takes on Paul Craig (17-8-1 MMA, 9-8-1 UFC) in a middleweight bout Nov. 16 on the UFC 309 foremost card at Madison Sq. Backyard. Regardless of his dominance within the octagon, Nickal has opted to take an enough period of time between every battle. He continues to get criticized for his lack of exercise, however the standout wrestler explains how his scenario is completely different.

“For me, a very powerful factor is growing, and I don’t need to skip steps on growth,” Nickal mentioned on the “MightyCast” podcast. “You talked about Diego Lopes. … These guys have 20-plus professional fights. He feels he’s able to go. I fought six instances in a little bit over two years. So, is that rare? I wouldn’t say it’s rare. I feel individuals perhaps overlook that I’ve solely been preventing because the summer time of 2022 professionally. However with that being mentioned, I feel it’s actually factor as a result of individuals need to see me battle. They need to see me compete, and personally I need to compete as a lot as I can, however on the finish of the day, it’s like, let’s say I battle a ranked man subsequent, then I battle a high 5 man, after which I’m preventing for the title. It’s not like this lengthy path that I’ve to get to the place I need to go.

“So for me, the event and the advance, a whole lot of it has to occur in coaching. I really feel like I can compete with and beat the perfect guys on this planet proper now, however I don’t need it to be aggressive when it occurs. So, after I go on the market and I’m competing for the belt, I would like it to seem like a masterclass the place this man’s not even on my degree. I feel proper now there’s a whole lot of enhancements that I must make to get to that time. I feel that it’s not all one hundred pc as much as me with the timing of how issues work out, however I’m going to do my greatest to be ready. And I really feel like I’ve been put able the place I’ve to make these enhancements in coaching, and I don’t have the posh of having the ability to get 15-20 fights earlier than I’m there. Like I’m realistically in all probability going to be there at 10-11 fights.”

Along with his expertise and notable wins over former UFC gentle heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill and high contender Magomed Ankalaev, Craig presents Nickal’s hardest check so far on paper.

Nonetheless, oddsmakers nonetheless have Nickal as a heavy favourite. Based on DraftKings, Nickal is a -1000 favourite over Craig, who’s a +600 underdog.

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