Undefeated middleweight Bo Nickal is carving a path to a title win, and the first step is to beat Paul Craig at UFC 309. Although Nickal is a highly touted prospect, he is not looking for a fast and easy track to the title. However, two more contenders are blocking his path to the throne, but Nickal seems mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

In fact, the “American Khamzat” has already started his feud with these contenders as part of his long-term game plan. The three-time NCAA champ and blue-chip middleweight is ready for the title and has just revealed his strategy to the world.

Bo Nickal reveals his game plan for the title

Nickal (6-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will face one of the most notable names Paul Craig at UFC 309 in a middleweight bout at Madison Square Garden. Even though Nickal is focused on winning this fight, he is not aiming for a fast track to the throne. However, he does have a blueprint of what the winning path might look like, which was shared by Championship Rounds. Nickal’s plan is straightforward: “Bo Nickal reveals his ideal path to a middleweight title: Beat Paul Craig and take on 2 more unranked fighters; Fight someone ranked; Fight someone ranked in the top 5; Fight for the title.”

But as always, things are easier said than done in the UFC. The first step for the American Top Team member is to defeat ‘Bearjew’ at UFC 309. After that, there are two more hurdles in his path: the ever-dangerous Dagestani Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev and South African sensation Dricus Du Plessis. However, Nickal seems confident in his plan and ready to execute it.

Currently unranked at middleweight, Nickal shows no signs of slowing down. He also shared his plan on his YouTube channel, saying, “I want to [fight] two more guys that are unranked. Then fight a ranked guy. So at that point, I’ll be 7-0, 8-0, 9-0, and fight a ranked guy 10-0. 11-0 probably fight a top-five guy and then fight for the belt around 12-0.“

As for the two contenders in his path, Du Plessis has already voiced his displeasure, recalling that his fight at UFC 285 was on the preliminary card while Nickal was on the main card. He told The Schmo, “I think maybe the UFC is like: ‘We have an American Khamzat here’ [with Bo Nickal]. But I think it’s bulls***, quite honest.” This triggered Nickal to claim that defeating ‘Stillknocks’ would be “easy work” after Du Plessis won against Sean Strickland. On top of that, Nickal has already taken a jab at his prospective opponent Chimaev, referencing Chimaev’s frequent health issues, signaling that Nickal’s plan is already in motion.

Bo Nickal dismissed Khamzat Chimaev’s sickness claims

The Penn State star addressed the incident where Khamzat Chimaev withdrew from his bout against middleweight champion Robert Whittaker due to illness. Chimaev’s manager claimed that the Dagestani fighter was suffering from food poisoning, but Nickal had a different perspective.

The middleweight star and undefeated freestyle wrestler have had an ongoing feud since last year where the former called ‘Borz’ wrestling “trash.” Nickal claimed that it was not even ‘mid-level.’ This prompted Chimaev to retaliate saying, “This wrestling was big bullish**” on X, after Nickal’s UFC 300 win over Cody Brundage.

Now that Chimaev had withdrawn from a fight due to illness, Nickal had more to say. On an episode of his ‘Nickals and Dimes Podcast,’ Nickal’s co-host Ronan Bell addressed the sickness and said, “He’s sick. Can’t do anything about an illness or anything. Well, not get sick that would be a good solution.” To this, the undefeated star without a nickname stated, “That’s what I do, just don’t get sick.” He also pointed out that, unlike Chimaev, he was always available for fights and was never in the hospital. Unfortunately for Nickal, he missed the chance to replace ‘Borz.’

He revealed that he had received an offer to fight Robert Whittaker instead of Chimaev but Nickal’s phone did not receive the necessary message. He was busy camping in the mountains of Montana where cell service was minimal. “I did get a call. Unfortunately, I got a call while I was in the mountains of Montana and I didn’t get back to cell service for three days….I’m not gonna disclose numbers, but they were up there,” Nickal said.

Unfortunately, he found out about it three days later after coming back when Aliserkov was already booked against Whittaker. Nevertheless, Nickal’s plan is in motion as he prepares to face Paul Craig, with ‘ground and pound’ training already underway. Do you think he can win and proceed to the next steps on his path to success?