- Bo Nickal has called for a fight with Khamzat Chimaev at some point ahead
- Nickal predicted the next generation of American wrestlers would dominate the sport
Massively hyped UFC prospect Bo Nickal made his way to the promotion through Dana White’s Contender Series, where he made a quick turnaround to earn back-to-back finishes over Zachary Borrego and Donovan Beard. Nickal made the switch to professional mixed martial arts competition after enjoying a highly successful and decorated wrestling career.
Bo Nickal wants to ‘really’ fight Khamzat Chimaev: ‘A good matchup for me’
In a recent interview with former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, Bo Nickal shared his thoughts on a potential outing with top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev.
“Let’s go. I’m ready for him right now. That’s a good matchup for me. He’s not taking me down, he’s not doing nothing to me. I’m 6’1 205 pounds, a full grown 185er. That’s a matchup I really want. I feel like he’s obviously been in MMA a little longer than me and he’s a bit ahead of me as far as where he is at with the organization. But I think without a doubt we have to match up at some point. If he stays undefeated, keeps winning, that could be one of the biggest fights in UFC history.”
“He competes really hard. He goes hard from the first whistle. He seems a bit emotional to me. I don’t really know that he makes the best decisions. We saw that in the Gilbert Burns fight; all of a sudden he’s just standing and banging with this dude for really no reason. So, I think he competes a bit emotionally.”
Nickal believes Dagestani wrestlers will face intense competition from the new wave of American wrestlers
Nickal further talked about the current state of MMA, where Dagestani fighters have established a strong foothold based on their grappling abilities. According to the 26-year-old Pennsylvania native, a change in the hierarchy will soon happen.
“A 100 percent. Those guys think they know how to wrestle, we will show them what real wrestling looks like. I have a ton of respect for any guy stepping inside the octagon, anyone willing to do that, mad respect to you. Those guys are at the top of the sport right now. I 100 percent don’t mean it in a disrespectful way but we think we are better. We are going to put the work in.
“We are here to win just like those guys. I actually like those guys a lot because a lot of the way they handle themselves is very respectful and honorable. So challenging ourselves against guys like that is one of the coolest things you can do. I’m excited.”
Bo Nickal was slated to make his UFC debut against Jamie Pickett next month for UFC 282. However, he was forced to withdraw from an injury and will likely make his first walk to the octagon under the banner early next year.
