Bo
Nickal recently made some bold claims about a potential clash
with Khamzat
Chimaev.
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Nickal has been touted as a potential foil to Chimaev’s wrestling
since he joined the
Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2023. The former three-time
NCAA Division I national champion delivered on those expectations
until recently. While Nickal has finished six of his seven pro
outings, the Penn State alum eked out a unanimous decision win over
Paul
Craig in his most recent fight at UFC 309
this past November. In that bout, Nickal was hesitant to engage on
the ground against “Bearjew,” who is known for his tricky
jiu-jitsu.
Nickal’s latest performance has led to doubts that the 28-year-old
will be a match for Chimaev, who is on the brink of receiving a
title shot. However, Nickal is confident that he can beat the
Chechen-born Swede. According to Nickal, he will be able to win the
majority of potential grappling exchanges with Chimaev. Nickal
believes Chimaev’s gas tank will deplete as the fight progresses,
while he will only get better.
“It’s hard to say exactly where he’s at,” Nickal recently said on
his YouTube channel. “I think that he’s good, he’s got skills. But
his biggest thing that’s gonna crush him, especially in a fight
against me is — Dude you’re going to get tired. You’re gonna go
like this [downwards] and I’m gonna go like this [upwards] as the
fight goes on. And you’re not gonna take me down, which is your
best attribute. You’re gonna have to strike with me. I’m probably
gonna 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 gonna get.’”
Chimaev has finished six of his eight UFC wins so far, only going
the distance against Kamaru
Usman and Gilbert
Burns. The undefeated contender is fresh off a first-round
submission win over former champ Robert
Whittaker at UFC 308
this past October. While there have been some concerns about
Chimaev’s health since he joined the UFC, the 30-year-old made
significant changes in training and looked better than ever in his
last appearance.