Daniel Cormier responds to Bo Nickal’s criticism of his commentary at UFC 309: “I think he may have misunderstood”

Daniel Cormier is trying to clear the air with Bo Nickal.

The undefeated Nickal, one of the hottest prospects in the UFC middleweight division, was back in action at UFC 309 last weekend, taking on Scotland’s Paul Craig. Nickal won the fight by decision, but the majority of fans seemed to be disappointed by his performance, and Cormier, who was on commentary duty, didn’t seem to be blown away either. In fact, Cormier was critical enough of his fellow wrestler’s performance that Nickal took issue with his comments after the fact.

Speaking in a video posted to his YouTube channel, Cormier shared his side of the situation, claiming he only meant to convey that Nickal needs a bit more development before he’s considered a serious contender.

“This one kind of took me a little bit by surprise because I do like Bo, and I do believe that at some point he’s going to be a champion. I just think that he’s a respectful guy,” Cormier said (via MMA Junkie). “So, he’s trying to say things in the nicest way he possibly can, but I think he may have misunderstood what I’m trying to say. What I was more trying to say in this fight is, let’s not rush him into fights with people who are much more experienced. That is how good he has done in a short period of time.

“You know what’s the craziest thing? After this weekend, right after the fight, people called me and said I was a Bo apologist. I was being apologetic for his performance, almost making excuses for him,” Cormier continued. “That’s crazy because it’s odd that a fighter can interpret it so much different than other people in the world. I thought he did really good. I have no problem with Bo Nickal. I believe he’s going to be fine. I don’t have a problem with the performance. I thought he fought really well, but there’s room for improvement. Let’s just take our time – we don’t need to rush him.”

By beating Paul Craig, Bo Nickal improved to 7-0 as a pro. Daniel Cormier is a former two-division UFC champion, with title wins at light heavyweight and heavyweight. He retired in 2020 with a 22-3 overall record.