Bo Nickal and his opponent at UFC 300, Cody Brundage, were the only unranked fighters on the main card of the PPV. Nickal’s position on the coveted fight card was the talk of the town as former champions like Aljamain Sterling, Jiri Prochazka, Holly Holm, and Jessica Andrade were on the prelims and the early prelims.
Before UFC 300, Bo Nickal was 5-0 in MMA with 5 first-round finishes but at UFC 300, he had to go to the second round to finish Brundage. The victory did not impress Khamzat Chimaev, to whom Nickal responded in kind in his interview on the MMA Hour.
“Who were you fighting at 5-0 bro? It wouldn’t be surprising to me if when we fight, I’m like a -1000 favorite,” he said.
Khamzat Chimaev broke into the mainstream UFC fanbase after he quickly got to a 4-0 record in the UFC across two divisions with 2 knockouts and 2 submissions. Even against inferior competition, Nick has had the same trajectory.
A potential matchup between Chimaev and Nickal, where the Russian’s style of wrestling would lock horns with the American’s style of wrestling, is one for the ages. Nonetheless, Nickal does not think that Chimaev would be a difficult matchup for him in MMA.
Bo Nickal predicts fight with Khamzat Chimaev
Bo Nickal has a long way to go before he fights Khamzat Chimaev, who is scheduled to fight in the main event of UFC Saudi Arabia against Robert Whittaker in a number one contender fight as per MSN. However, that has not stopped him from angling and predicting the result of a potential matchup with the undefeated Chechen.
“[I would] take him down, ragdoll him, throw him around. He’s not a big 85er,” said Nickal of what he would do to Chimaev if they ever fought. “He gets tired… if that fight is 5 rounds I don’t think he makes it 5 rounds,” Nickal added as he referenced the Chechen’s issues with cardio in fights with Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, respectively.
In Chimaev’s latest fight at UFC 294, in the co-main event, he eked past with a majority decision against Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on 10 days’ notice. After a dominant first round, Chimaev could not keep up the pace in rounds 2 and 3, where Usman began to outstrike Chimaev.
Nonetheless, Nickal has not fought beyond round 2 and questions about his cardio are also a topic of debate. Nevertheless, if Nickal and Chimaev keep their undefeated record intact until they fight again, it would be a delight for MMA fans.
Do you think Bo Nickal will defeat Khamzat Chimaev in a potential fight? Leave your prediction below!
