Bo Nickal was admittedly impressed with Khamzat Chimaev’s UFC 294 win against Kamaru Usman. But, the wrestling phenom has also spotted a few holes in his game.
Chimaev picked up a majority decision win in his middleweight debut against the former welterweight champ. Usman accepted the fight on short notice. Nickal acknowledged the caliber of Chimaev’s win, but he didn’t miss how “Borz” gradually slowed down as the fight progressed.
Nickal, like others, also believes the decision could have gone the other way had it been a five-rounder. The former Penn State standout, who has called out Chimaev in the past, believes that he has the tools to defeat the Russian-born Swede in a potential clash.
“I think in the first round he looked lights out like he always does. He got Usman on the ground, held him down, beat him up, and was close to a finish a couple of times. But then the pace slowed for both of them as rounds went on… I think there’s a lot to take away positively and negatively… I believe [I beat him]… I believe in myself and I think that my skills match up very well against him. And I feel like that’s a fight that I win,” Nickal said in an appearance on “The MMA Hour.”
Nickal has earned a spot on the marquee UFC 300 card on April 13 opposite Cody Brundage (10-5). Meanwhile, Chimaev is not booked currently and recently shared some concerning pictures from the hospital stating he was recently “very sick.” A matchup between the two also seems unlikely at the moment with “Borz” expecting a title shot on his return to the Octagon.