Three-time NCAA champion wrestler Bo Nickal, who recently preserved his undefeated 6-0 professional record with a second-round submission of Cody Brundage at UFC 300, has responded to criticism from Khamzat Chimaev, stating that he is confident he could handle Chimaev in a fight and is aiming to start approaching the rankings soon.
Bo Nickal’s got Khamzat Chimaev’s attention. He’s sure of it. The three-time NCAA champ and rising middleweight star continued his climb last Saturday. He submitted Cody Brundage in the second round of UFC 300’s pay-per-view opener.
First time Nickal’s seen a second round in his MMA career. Still, he kept his undefeated 6-0 professional record intact. All six victories? Stoppages.
Khamzat Chimaev wasn’t impressed though. The two have been trading insults for a year. After the fight, Chimaev called Nickal’s wrestling “big bulls***” on social media. Nickal’s reaction? Pure delight.
“I love it,” Nickal said on The MMA Hour. He’s glad Chimaev’s recognizing it. He thinks Chimaev sees what’s coming. It’s good for everyone, he says. Good for him, good for Chimaev, good for the sport. He’s determined to make that fight happen.
Nickal’s response to Chimaev’s comment? “Yo, who were you fighting at 5-0, bro? Some random dude in Europe? I’m fighting in the UFC on UFC 300, so there’s levels to this.” He believes people just need to get to know him. The more they do, the more they’ll realize he’s “that guy”. He’s confident he’ll be a -1000 favorite when they fight, just like he’s been against everyone else.
Nickal, 28, has been poking Chimaev about a potential fight since joining the UFC in 2023. He’s considered one of MMA’s top prospects. His UFC results prove it. First-round submissions over Zachary Borrego and Donovan Beard on the UFC’s Contender Series. Quick submissions of Jamie Pickett and Brundage. A 38-second knockout of Val Woodburn.
Nickal knows the Chimaev fight is in the distant future. He’s confident he’ll handle the undefeated Chechen as easily as he did Brundage.
“I think I’d do very similarly to him what I did to this last guy — take him down, rag-doll him, throw him around,” Nickal said. He doesn’t think Chimaev will last five rounds. He’s sure he’ll widen the gap on him as the fight continues.
Right now, Chimaev is where Nickal wants to be — in the middleweight title conversation. After defeating his first seven UFC opponents, Chimaev is set to fight former champ Robert Whittaker on June 22 in Saudi Arabia.
Nickal doesn’t care who wins. If Chimaev wins, it’ll make their inevitable showdown bigger. So, he’s selfishly rooting for Chimaev. He thinks the criticism Chimaev’s faced since his win over former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman is overblown.
Nickal believes the hype can get out of hand. He thinks reality is somewhere in the middle. He believes Chimaev could still be champion. He’s built a reputation that scares guys. He’s sure Whitaker is terrified of getting taken down.
Nickal’s built his own reputation too. He knows what he’s capable of. He’s sure there’s zero chance of Chimaev doing that to him. He believes reputation plays a big role in fights. He thinks Chimaev has the skills to be the champion.
As for his immediate future, Nickal’s planning a return in late July or early August. He wants to start approaching the rankings. He doesn’t need to fight everyone in the rankings to get the belt. He only needs to fight two or three.
He wants to fight one or two more guys outside the rankings. Then, maybe start on ranked guys early next year. Maybe fight for the belt in 2025. That’s where he sees it going.