Bo Nickal is taking his time climbing up the ladder in the UFC middleweight division, picking and choosing his fights, and the frequency. That doesn’t mean he is content fighting journeymen either. The young prospect already has his eyes set on Khamzat Chimaev, the third-ranked fighter in the class. Nickal believes only he can match the Borz in the octagon.
Well, he did see Chimaev’s jaw-breaking win at UFC 308 over former champ Robert Whittaker. And he is all respect for the Russian. A wrestler-to-wrestler acknowledgment is, of course, there too. Maybe, Nickal’s confidence stems from that: he is confident he can grapple and hold his ground against Chimaev.
Nickal finds it funny that many expected Whittaker to put up a tough fight against the Chechen machine.
“You can ask around, all the people that I talked to – I kind of thought he would do that to Whittaker.”
It’s one thing to imagine dominance, and it is another thing to do it inside the cage, and that too in the clinical way Chimaev managed.
“But he actually did it, which is super impressive,” added Nickal.
A few days back, when Chimaev was asked about Nickal, he said that the American had a long way to go before he could compete fighters at the top rung. Nickal agrees.
“That’s a fight I’m looking forward to. I think, obviously, he’s quite a bit ahead of me right now, but he’ll be fighting for the belt soon and then I’ll catch up quick,” said the 28-year-old American.
The top of the middleweight division is crowded right now with multiple contenders staking a title shot. Sean Strickland wants a rematch with champion Dricus du Plessis. However, the fans, and many within the UFC too, want to see Chimaev in the octagon fighting the South African for the belt.
Nickal, meanwhile, is plotting his trajectory upward. He hopes that in about five fights, he will be ready for UFC gold.
Nickal’s ticket to the UFC gold
The American fighter has been rather conservative with his fight dates. He fought last in April. The 6-0-0 fighter aims to continue his winning journey at UFC 309 against Paul Craig. That fight will take place at the Madison Square Garden later this week.
And if he goes past Craig, his toughest opponent so far in the promotion, the NCAA wrestler believes he would have crossed the halfway mark in his journey toward gold.
“I’m basically there. If I win one or two more fights then I’m fighting a ranked guy then I’m fighting a top five then I’m fighting for the belt. If I have six fights right now, I’m already passed the halfway point if that’s the trajectory,” said Nickal.
If he defeats Craig dominantly, his next fight is almost guaranteed to be against a ranked fighter. The real test begins then. And the challenge not just increases, but compounds manifold from then on.
Rising up the ranks and then fighting a Top 5 fighter, especially in a stacked division, is never a linear journey. But Nickal’s pedigree, and history, provide promise. Then again, the journey will take time.
When will he get to fight Borz? Hopefully, a couple of years down the line, maybe even three.
