UFC middleweight contender Paul Craig has explained why he called out Bo Nickal.
‘Bearjew’ made his middleweight debut over the weekend at UFC London. Riding a two-fight losing streak, the Scottish fighter faced off with Andre Muniz. The Brazilian entered the matchup off a submission loss to Brendan Allen and later suffered a devastating stoppage at the loss of Paul Craig on Saturday.
At UFC London, Paul Craig scored a second-round stoppage win over the Brazilian. Following the victory, the longtime grappling ace called to face highly-viewed prospect Bo Nickal. The former collegiate wrestling champion is 5-0 in his MMA career thus far, last defeating Val Woodburn earlier this month at UFC 290.
On The MMA Hour, Paul Craig addressed why he called out Bo Nickal. There, he admitted that he was also interested in a potential fight with Sean Strickland next. That being said, ‘Tarzan’ was recently linked to a potential title fight with Israel Adesanya. Nonetheless, the callout has less to do with Bo Nickal, and more with legacy.
As Paul Craig revealed, the callout was made partially because nobody wants to fight Bo Nickal. With his time in the sport ticking away, the Scottish fighter wants fans to know that he’s here to fight and that money and fame have nothing to do with it. He wants exciting fights, and not much else.
“I mentioned that Bo Nickal was an interesting fight,” Paul Craig stated on The MMA Hour. “Because, I don’t know why, but people don’t want to fight him. He’s got a name about him, he’s not a ranked opponent but he sort of gives me an edge. In regards to his wrestling ability, and my jiu-jitsu ability, that kind of fight excites me. I love the Sean Strickland idea, I know he’s probably fighting for the title, but I love the way he fights.”
He continued, “…That’s the kind of fights I want to be involved in. I want to be in exciting fights, I want to have some sort of legacy. You know when Michael Bisping is inducted into the Hall of Fame, everyone stands up and you hear his music? I want that kind of legacy. I want to be a champ, I want to be in the Hall of Fame… That’s what I do this sport for.”
What do you make of these comments? Do you want to see Paul Craig vs. Bo Nickal?
