"I'd pay for this fight over the JJ one lol" - Fans amped as Bo Nickal and Paul Craig have an intense final face-off ahead of UFC 309

MMA fans shared their thoughts online after witnessing the intense face-off between Bo Nickal and Paul Craig at the UFC 309 ceremonial weigh-ins. The face-off had all the ingredients to excite fans, who are anticipating a barnburner.

Even before joining the UFC, Nickal was a household name in US collegiate wrestling. After winning the NCAA Division I championships for three consecutive years, he bagged the gold in the 2019 US National Championships. Nickal boasts a perfect 6-0 record and will be eager to uphold his unbeaten status against Craig.

Meanwhile, Nickal's Scottish rival is going through a rough patch in his UFC career. 'Bearjew' has picked up four defeats in his last five UFC fights. While Craig is coming off back-to-back losses, they came against top-ranked middleweights Brendan Allen and Caio Borralho.

UFC CEO Dana White shared a close-up of their face-off online, featuring Craig in his signature 'Braveheart'-themed blue face paint.

Fans were charged up after witnessing the intensity of the Nickal-Craig face-off. In the comments section of the tweet, they expressed their eagerness to watch the scrap.

One of them claimed that he was more excited about this fight than the main event of UFC 309, featuring a heavyweight title clash between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. The comment read:

"I'd pay for this fight over the JJ [Jon Jones] one lol"

Others penned:

"So excited for this!"

"They're ready."

"Bo’s toughest fight by far this should be a good one."

Check out a few more reactions:

Fan reactions to @danawhite's X post

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Bo Nickal wants to develop himself more before locking horns with Khamzat Chimaev

There are several noteworthy faces in Bo Nickal's division, including the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev. Both Chimaev and Nickal have showcased their mastery in wrestling multiple times, and hence, many believe that a matchup between the two would be an exciting affair.

Nickal has also revealed his desire to fight for the title in the future. But he wanted to take more time preparing himself before locking horns with someone as skilled as Chimaev. At UFC 309 media day, he detailed what he needs to do before fighting Chimaev:

"I think that Khamzat's last performance was really incredible. Probably the best performance he's had, submitting a former champion in the first round... I have a lot of catching up to do, I'm fighting unranked guys right now... The main focus is improve, develop and get better at fighting and we'll make that happen [facing Chimaev] in time"

Check out Bo Nickal's comments below (3:54:50):