Khamzat Chimaev has made quite the name for himself ever since making his UFC debut in 2020. Since then, he has gone on to attain a perfect record of 6-0 in the company. While he has fought at welterweight and at middleweight as well, it looks like Chimaev will be sticking to the 185lb division after missing weight in his last fight. The future seems to be bright for ‘Borz’, who is awaiting his next challenge after being last seen in action against Kevin Holland in September last year.
Interestingly, Khamzat Chimaev is considered a real threat in the middleweight division, with many people backing him to become the future champion. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach seems to have a different opinion.
What did Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach say about the future of the middleweight division?
Javier Mendez, the former coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently made a bold claim by claiming Bo Nickal is the future champion of the middleweight division and snubbed Khamzat Chimaev from the conversation.
Bo Nickal was recently in action at UFC 290 against Val Woodburn. Nickal is known for his wrestling prowess, however, he shocked everyone by securing a knockout finish. Talking about the same during his podcast, Javier Mendez had this to say:
“He had it all, he’s got great ability, great wrestling, he’s got great IQ, the way he did that, he came in, he hit him, he faded out, hit him again, hit him with pinpoint shots, I mean, he’s the real deal. He is the future, that right there, solidified. I knew he was great, but now I know he’s the future, the future champ.”
However, Mendez wasn’t the only MMA personality to speak about surging star Bo Nickal. Former UFC fighter turned analyst Chael Sonnen also recently shared his thoughts on the fight. He even hinted at a fight between him and Chimaev.
Chael Sonnen speaks about a potential fight between Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev
With both Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev being backed to be the future superstars of the middleweight division, their paths look set to collide at some point in their careers. While Chimaev has competed in the UFC six times, Nickal’s bout at UFC 290 was just his second fight under the promotion.
Speaking about how a potential fight between the two might play out in the future, former UFC veteran Chael Sonnen suggested that Bo Nickal will most definitely beat him. Sonnen had this to say during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour:
“Yes, Bo could most definitely beat him.”
While Bo Nickal seems to have the backing of Chael Sonnen, it will be interesting to see what happens when and if the two actually lock horns inside the squared circle.
