While Bo
Nickal was admittedly impressed with Khamzat
Chimaev’s
UFC 294 win against Kamaru
Usman, the wrestling phenom has also spotted a few holes in his
game.
Chimaev picked up a majority decision win in his middleweight debut
against the former welterweight champ, who accepted the fight on
short notice. While Nickal acknowledged the caliber of Chimaev’s
win, he did not fail to notice “Borz” gradually slowing down as the
fight progressed. Nickal, like others, also believes the decision
could have gone the other way had it been a five-rounder. The
former Penn State standout, who has called out Chimaev in the past,
believes that he has the tools to defeat the Russian-born Swede in
a potential clash.
“I think in the first round he looked lights out like he always
does. He got Usman on the ground, held him down, beat him up, and
was close to a finish a couple of times. But then the pace slowed
for both of them as rounds went on… I think there’s a lot to take
away positively and negatively… I believe [I beat him]… I
believe in myself and I think that my skills match up very well
against him. And I feel like that’s a fight that I win,” Nickal
said in an appearance on „The
MMA Hour.“
Nickal has earned a spot on the marquee UFC
300 card on April 13 opposite Cody
Brundage (10-5). Meanwhile, Chimaev is not booked currently and
recently shared some concerning pictures from the hospital stating
he was
recently „very sick.“ A matchup between the two also seems
unlikely at the moment with “Borz” expecting a title shot on his
return to the Octagon.