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UFC 309 Crowd Chants 'Overrated' as -1350 Favorite Struggles With Journeyman Fighter

UFC 309's New York crowd jeers as Bo Nickal takes Paul Craig to the scorecards.
Mathew Riddle|
@AfeldMMA

Huge betting favorite Bo Nickal was met with a wave of boos after his tepid decision win over Paul Craig at UFC 309.

Nickal (7-0), a NCAA Division 1 wrestler, is one of the hottest prospects in the middleweight division, and has received a huge push from the UFC. The Penn State wrestler came up against Craig in one of the feature fights on the UFC 309 main card, and continued to absorb kicks and swing wild overhands throughout 15 minutes.

The biggest moment of the fight was Nickal, a -1350 favorite (per Tapology), hurting Craig in the dying seconds of round three, moments after the New York crowd began to chant 'overrated' at the undefeated fighter.

They continued to jeer when the final bell sounded...

Nickal won the fight unanimously and gave a pragmatic post-fight speech, remarking that he's still early in his career. While this is true, Nickal has yet to fight for a spot in the rankings, and Craig is typically a stepping stone for many hopefuls looking to reach the top of middleweight. Whether this version of Nickal can hang with the middleweight elite remains yet to be seen.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with half a decade of digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on Bloody Elbow, The Fight Fanatic, and Heavy on UFC. He runs Warrior Tribune and can be contacted by his Muckrack profile.

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