Paul Craig explains why he doesn’t think Bo Nickal will shoot for takedowns at UFC 309: ‘It’s a silly move for him’

Paul Craig isn’t convinced that Bo Nickal will be shooting for takedowns this Saturday.

Craig and Nickal will share the Octagon inside the world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City. The middleweight bout will be featured on the UFC 309 main card.

While Nickal is a massive betting favorite going into this fight, Craig has been known to pull off his share of upsets, usually via submission. Could Nickal suffer the same fate as the likes of former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill?

RELATED: BO NICKAL REVEALS EARLY PLANS FOR HIS FIRST UFC WORLD TITLE

Paul Craig Doesn’t Anticipate “Silly Move” from Bo Nickal

Paul Craig got a chance to speak with Michael Bisping and the TNT Sports crew ahead of UFC 309. During the chat, “Bearjew” explained why it would be a mistake for Bo Nickal to grapple with him on the ground.

"I don't believe he's going to take me down. I think it's a silly move for him" ❌

Paul Craig explains why Bo Nickal's wrestling background may be a problem on Saturday…#UFC309 | Nov 16 | LIVE on TNT Sports Box Office ➡️ https://t.co/uXQAMHNTBd pic.twitter.com/8iFsu2TONO

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) November 15, 2024

“I don’t believe he’s gonna try to take me down,” Craig said. “I think it’s a silly, silly move for him. When you think about wrestling as our sport, their whole game plan is to pin you on your back. That’s a bad situation to put me in. If you spend 15 minutes with me laying on my back, there’s a very good chance I’m catching a submission. There’s few men who have been in the Octagon with me and put me in that position and survived. Bo Nickal, I don’t believe has experience, but I’ve said that a few times in my career and sometimes it comes back and bites you on the backside.”

Craig is a savvy 26-fight veteran with 13 submission wins on his resume. He could make things interesting once the fight gets to the ground, but he will need to withstand Nickal’s standup barrage as well.

We’ll see who gets their hand raised on Saturday night.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the original source and leave an H/T to BJPenn.com with a link back for the transcription.