Bo Nikal knows he has the attention of Khamzat Chimaev.
The three-time NCAA champion wrestler and middleweight contender continued his rise last Saturday by defeating Cody Brundage in two rounds in the pay-per-view opener of UFC 300. This match was Nickal's first match. It was only his second round in his early MMA career, but he still maintained an undefeated record of 6-0 as a professional. All six of those wins ended in stoppages.
But one man was not particularly impressed: Khamzat Chimaev. The two have been at loggerheads for much of the past year, and after the match Chimaev posted on social media: Nickal's wrestling was “Big Bull***”. Nikkal was overjoyed when he saw this.
“I love it,” Nickal said Wednesday. MMA hour. “The fact that he's aware of that, and I think he knows what's going to happen, too, and I think that's good for everyone. It's good for me, it's good for him, it's good for the sport. . So we're going to make that fight happen.
“And to that I'd say, hey, who were you fighting at 5-0? A brother?” Some random guy in Europe? I fight in the UFC at UFC 300, so there are levels to this. And I think people just need to get to know me. The more they get to know me, the more they'll realize, oh, that's the kind of guy I am, and there's nothing anyone else can do about it. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up like a -1000 favorite when we play, just like I did against all the other people. ”
Nikal, 28, has been pressing Chimaev for a possible fight since officially joining the UFC in 2023. The decorated wrestler is widely considered to be one of the best prospects in all of mixed martial arts, and his UFC performance thus far supports that hype.Nickal earned two first-round submissions over Zachary Borrego and Donovan Beard in the UFC. Contender seriesHe then knocked out Val Woodburn in 38 seconds with quick submissions from Jamie Pickett and Brundage, kickstarting his run in the promotion.
Nikal knows that fighting Chimaev is a fight in the distant future, but he is confident that once they do, he will be able to handle the undefeated Chechen opponent with the same ease as Brundage.
“I would do to him what I did to this last guy: drag him down, turn him into a rag doll, and throw him around,” Nickal said. “He's not an '85 player, he tires easily. So will his first round be a little better and more competitive? Probably. But even if that fight was five rounds, To be honest, I don't think he'll make it past five rounds. And that's kind of the general assessment for me. Is he going to come at me? But I don't think he'll be able to do anything that will really hurt me or do too much damage, so I won't be able to increase the gap on him as the fight continues.”
For now, Chimaev is sitting exactly where Nikkal wants him to be in the future, becoming a small part of the middleweight title fray. After retiring his first seven opponents in the UFC and dealing with most of them with ease, Chimaev is scheduled to face former champion Robert Whittaker on June 22 in the headliner of the promotion's debut trip to Saudi Arabia.
Nikal doesn't really care who wins in that matchup, but admits that even if Chimaev wins, it will only turn the inevitable showdown with “Bolts” into a bigger fight in the future. Ta. In that sense, he's selfishly trying to let his rival have a successful night, but Nikkal believes the criticism Chimaev has faced since his hard-fought victory over former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is exaggerated. I believe that it has been done.
“I think it's probably too much to praise or overhype anyone. I think it can get out of hand quickly, even for yourself,” Nickal said. “And there are negatives, there are positives, but the reality is probably somewhere in the middle for everyone. All things considered, with his skill, you can still be a champion.” I believe he can, and he's just built such a reputation that people are afraid of him because of his style and what he's done so far. I guarantee you, whether he and Usman fought a close fight or not, he built that reputation and solidified it.
“The difference with me is that I've built my own reputation, I know what I'm capable of, and I also know that there's actually no chance of him doing that to me. That's his biggest strength.''So I think the reputation aspect has a lot to do with it. It's about why he wins matches the way he has, why he fights the way he does. But I think he has the skills to be a champion. ”
As for Nickal's immediate future, he is already targeting a return in late July or early August.
“I hope to get close to the rankings here soon,” Nickal said. “It's interesting, once you're in the rankings, you don't have to fight.” [everyone]. He's ranked 15 people, but he doesn't have to fight 15 people to win the belt, right? Just 2 or 3 fights is enough. That means if he fights a ranked fighter, he could be fighting for the belt within six months.
“So we'd like to get one or two more players who are a little bit better outside of the rankings and maybe start early next year.” [on] Ranked fighters will likely fight for the belt in 2025. So that's where I see it going. ”
