Pump the breaks.

Middleweight super prospect Bo Nickal will return to action at UFC 309 this weekend (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024) for his fourth Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight against his biggest opponent to date, Paul Craig, inside Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Every single time Nickal fights, Khamzat Chimaev is mentioned as a future opponent, and today (Wed., Nov. 13, 2024) at UFC 309 media day was no different.

“It’s definitely getting closer,” Nickal told reporters when asked if a fight with Chimaev is becoming a real possibility. “Khamzat’s last performance was really incredible; it was probably the best he’s had. Submitting a former champion is an incredible feat. He’s definitely right there for a title shot…I have a lot of catching up to do. I’m fighting unranked guys right now. So, those are the types of fights I want in the future, but the main focus is to improve, develop, and get better at fighting. We’ll make that fight happen in time.”

Two years ago, the three-time NCAA Division I national champion from Penn State said he was “ready to go with Chimaev,” so it’s very refreshing to hear a fighter with as much hype as Nickal give props to a potential future opponent while also realizing he has a lot of things to work on before said fight.

Even though he might get beat up by “Borz.”

Nevertheless, before Nickal fights Chimaev in the Las Vegas Raiders Allegiant Stadium in front of 100,000 people, he must get through “Bear Jew,” who believes it will be a “bad idea” if Nickal takes him down.

We will see in T-minus three days.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 309 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 309: “Jones vs. Miocic” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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