Bo Nickal Believes Khamzat Chimaev Won’t Be Able To Take Him Down

Bo Nickal recently made some bold claims about a potential clash with Khamzat Chimaev.

Nickal has been touted as a potential foil to Chimaev’s wrestling since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2023. The former three-time NCAA Division I national champion delivered on those expectations until recently. While Nickal has finished six of his seven pro outings, the Penn State alum eked out a unanimous decision win over Paul Craig in his most recent fight at UFC 309 this past November. In that bout, Nickal was hesitant to engage on the ground against “Bearjew,” who is known for his tricky jiu-jitsu.

Nickal’s latest performance has led to doubts that the 28-year-old will be a match for Chimaev, who is on the brink of receiving a title shot. However, Nickal is confident that he can beat the Chechen-born Swede. According to Nickal, he will be able to win the majority of potential grappling exchanges with Chimaev. Nickal believes Chimaev’s gas tank will deplete as the fight progresses, while he will only get better.

“It’s hard to say exactly where he’s at,” Nickal recently said on his YouTube channel. “I think that he’s good, he’s got skills. But his biggest thing that’s gonna crush him, especially in a fight against me is — Dude you’re going to get tired. You’re gonna go like this [downwards] and I’m gonna go like this [upwards] as the fight goes on. And you’re not gonna take me down, which is your best attribute. You’re gonna have to strike with me. I’m probably gonna be able to take you down. Maybe I don’t hold you down on the ground forever, but I can hold you down there for a little bit. And the longer the fight goes, the worse it’s gonna get.’”

Chimaev has finished six of his eight UFC wins so far, only going the distance against Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. The undefeated contender is fresh off a first-round submission win over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 this past October. While there have been some concerns about Chimaev’s health since he joined the UFC, the 30-year-old made significant changes in training and looked better than ever in his last appearance.

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