[autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Craig[/autotag] meet Saturday on the UFC 309 main card at Madison Square Garden in New York. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig UFC 309 preview
After getting a main-card opening spot on the historic UFC 300 card earlier this year, the promotion is back to spotlighting Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC), the former three-time NCAA national champion wrestler, in the featured bout on UFC 309 from Madison Square Garden. Nickal has cruised through his first three UFC fights, most recently submitting Cody Brundage in the second round this past April. … Craig (17-8-1 MMA, 9-8-1 UFC) is looking to play spoiler after losing back-to-back fights against Brendan Allen and most recently Caio Borralho in May at UFC 301.
Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig UFC 309 expert pick, predictions
The UFC continues to steadily test Nickal by giving him the spoiler machine in Craig.
Not only does Craig somewhat surprisingly have a positive record against southpaws at 4-2, but the Scotsman owns wins over some of the top names at light heavyweight in Magomed Ankalaev and Jamahal Hill.
That said, the strengths of Criag have been known for some time, and fighters are getting better at avoiding it.
Although Nickal is clearly a top-level wrestler who is falling in love with the submission game, the American southpaw has shown to have some striking and power on the feet that are worth respecting.
I would love to be wrong here, but I suspect that Nickal finds a way to produce a stoppage via strikes in Round 2.
Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig UFC 309 odds
The oddsmakers and the public are heavily favoring the American fighter, listing Nickal (-1700) and Craig (+730) via FanDuel.
Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig UFC 309 start time, how to watch
As the featured bout, Nickal and Craig are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:15 p.m. ET. The fight will stream on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.