At UFC Fight Night 244, Paul Craig made his middleweight debut with a brutal second-round finish of André Muniz. Moving down from light-heavyweight, Craig’s submission game is no secret to anyone. But this win has proved that the fighter is equally dangerous on the feet.

Before the dust of his debut could even settle, the fighter already has an opponent in his mind. And it is none other than the rising promotional newcomer, Bo Nickal. Going through a terror run at UFC, Nickal has finished all his previous five opponents in the very first round. But despite him looking unstoppable, a veteran of the sport thinks that it isn’t the right time for the former wrestler to face Craig.

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In the latest episode of his podcast, MMA coach Javier Mendez opened up on the idea of Bo Nickal facing Paul Craig next. According to him, Nickal should avoid fighting Paul Craig just yet. Instead, Mendez thinks he should fight any other ‘high level but lesser-level’ guy first. This is because Mendez believes that despite the American looking invincible, he is still a rookie in the sport; something which can play out in favor of a veteran like Craig.

In Mendez’s own words: “I’m not sure I would risk Bo just right now, not because I don’t think Bo can hang with him, but because of the experience, that’s all. Maybe Bo can face another high-level but lesser-level guy before going against Paul Craig.” 

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For those unaware, before moving down to middleweight, Paul Craig was active in UFC’s light-heavyweight division. During his time there, Craig has finished some high-level competitions, including Jamahal Hill. Considering this, Mendez believes it would be better for Nickal to avoid ‘Beerjew’ for now. However, at the same time, he also acknowledged the standout wrestler’s credentials on the ground, further referring to the athlete as ‘not just a wrestler’.

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In the MMA community, it would be difficult to find someone who holds as much respect as Javier Mendez. The Mexican helms the combat sports training gym, the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). The same gym is an alumnus of UFC champions: BJ Penn, Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, Luke Rockhold, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Thus, with his plethora of combat sports experience in fighting and mentoring, one can be sure that his advice is a voice of reason.

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