Despite experts claiming that Bo Nickal is too green to be even discussing a fight with Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev, the UFC middleweight prospect is already predicting exactly how it will play out. Nickal, known for his elite wrestling background, believes that while Chimaev is talented, he simply won’t be able to keep up with the relentless pressure that he brings to the mat.
Nickal’s game plan is simple – push the pace, force scrambles, and drag Chimaev into deep waters. The way Nickal sees it, the longer the fight goes, the more it favors him.
The former NCAA champion hosted Chael Sonnen, a big supporter of the Nickal vs Chimaev fantasy fight. During the course of the discussion, Nickal gave Sonnen a step-by-step guide to unlock the ‘Borz’ puzzle.
Despite having just scraped through a victory over Paul Craig at UFC 310, Nickal claimed that he was easily “a top three guy” in the world and said,
“I don’t think there is a guy in the world at 86 kilos that can beat me in wrestling. I think that he (Chimaev) is good, he’s got skills. The biggest thing that is going to crush him, especially against a fighter like me, is you’re going to get tired.”
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Nickal is confident that he can defend Chimaev’s takedowns, forcing the Chechen star into a striking battle, which he feels plays right into his hands.
Interestingly, Nickal’s past performances don’t inspire the same confidence that he has in himself. A striking battle with Chimaev would be the ideal way to defeat him but to do that, one has to be a better striker than him. Nickal is just not that guy. At least that is what has been evident from his 7 fights in the UFC.
He’s a wrestler through and through. Sure, he finished Val Woodburn with punches, but an unranked fighter is a much smaller fish to catch than someone on the verge of challenging for the title.
Nickal’s one-two-feints and level changes are not going to be enough to catch Chimaev and put his lights out. Better strikers like Gilbert Burns and former world champion Kamaru Usman have tried.
The only thing that could possibly work for Nickal is that his wrestling is competitive to a point where he can takedown Chimaev and perhaps defend his takedowns. What he does from there, especially against a guy with Chimaev’s power is subject to debate.
Despite this, Sonnen believes if there is ever a time to put the two to fight, it is now.
Chimaev vs Nickal in 2025?
Probably, no! Chimaev is waiting to take on the winner of Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312. Even UFC President Dana White has asserted that his performance against Whittaker has made a strong case for a title shot, which he wants Chimaev to get in the USA.
Nickal on the other hand, is not even in the top 15 ranked fighters at middleweight. So why Chimaev would even accept the fight is a puzzling thought.
However, Sonnen believes Nickal will eventually claim the middleweight belt and so the rankings shouldn’t stand in the way.
“These two have been on a collision course since the beginning,” he said.
For Sonnen, this is the fight to make in 2025 – no excuses, no delays.
