UFC middleweight standout Bo Nickal remains confident in a potential matchup against Khamzat Chimaev.
Nickal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who was a three-time national champion wrestler at Penn State, insists that Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) won’t be able to match him in grappling. He also thinks with Chimaev’s explosive starts, such as when he quickly submitted Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, he’ll eventually slow down when he fails to keep him on the mat.
”I don’t think there’s really a guy in the world at 86 kilos that can beat me in wrestling,” Nickal said on his YouTube channel. “I think that he’s (Chimaev) good, he’s got skills, but his biggest thing that’s going to crush him, especially in a fight against me is, dude, you’re going to get tired. You’re going to go like this (down), and I’m going to go like this (up) as the fight goes on.
“And you’re not going to take me down, which is your best attribute. So you’re going to have to strike with me. I’m probably going to be able to take you down. Maybe I don’t hold you down on the ground forever, but I can hold you down there for a little bit, and the longer the fight goes, the worse it’s going to get.”
Chael Sonnen, who recently revealed his wish list for 2025 on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier, wants to see Chimaev vs. Nickal happen sooner rather than later, despite the pair being far apart in the UFC middleweight rankings.
”I’ve got to get Bo Nickal and Chimaev. I can’t keep these guys separated forever,” Sonnen said. “We’re told that we don’t get to see this fight because of the discrepancy in the rankings. Now Chimaev has put himself in a spot to go fight for a title.
“Those two have been aligned from Jump Street. … Chimaev’s undefeated, Bo’s undefeated. Chimaev’s good with the wrestling, Bo’s good with the wrestling, Chimaev’s got a bunch of fans, that’s up and coming as a future title contender, check, check, and check for Bo. I don’t know why we’re keeping them apart when we got guys under contract. Make the fight.”
