Bo Nickal was booed by fans in attendance at UFC 309 after the middleweight prospect went the distance for the first time in his career, and he said afterward he believes the crowd reaction was uncalled for.

Nickal remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over Paul Craig in a main-card bout Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. All three judges scored the fight 30-27.

Nickal, a former standout collegiate wrestler who's now 4-0 in the UFC, didn't attempt a takedown and instead relied on his striking to secure the victory. He outlanded Craig 54-47 in significant strikes.

Some fans in the crowd chanted "overrated" toward the end of the matchup.

"I felt great. I dominated for 15 minutes," Nickal said in his postfight interview. "These guys want blood. The reality is these guys are all professional fighters who have been training for a decade.

"I thought that was an amazing performance. I was happy with it."

Nickal made his highly anticipated Octagon debut in March 2023 and rattled off three straight stoppage victories, two of which were submissions and one knockout.