Media Bo Nickal: Chimaev gives me confidence for a return - but I'm his biggest threat

"I see holes in the game still. I really, really doubt he would be able to take me down. I know that my cardio would hold up. I know for a fact he's not taking
me down quickly
..."

He went from he's not taking me down, to he's not taking me down quickly, in the same sentence, he's panic-stricken, just thinking about Chimaev.

In context, he's saying when they are fresh Bo doesn't think he'll get taken down, but obviously he's never gone 5 rounds and doesn't know how he'll hold up over time. There really isn't any substitute for that experience.

In any event I agree with Bo, Khamzat is unlikely to take him down early and without doubt won't be taking him down at will. He will certainly counter wrestle better than Usman who was stuffing with no problem in rounds 2-3.

The reason this is all hilarious is Khamzat would just knock him out. Or hurt him on the feet then submit him. Bo is talking like Khamzat would agree to have a wrestling match with him lol.
 
Now, what happens when he fights someone with Nickal's pedigree

He knocks him out.

Bo is very underdeveloped at striking and looks absolutely awful when he gets hit. His reactions are big and way over the top.

He got the shit beaten out of him kickboxing with a grappler who has mid-at-best striking and is slow as molasses.

who has just seen that he doesn't need to entertain us mouthbreathers and can instead focus on wrestling?
What does Khamzat look like defending against takedowns for 25 minutes?

There is no version of reality where Khamzat doesn't pop Bo's head off in 25 minutes. He will probably knock him out in the first round would be my guess.
 
I forgot Gregor existed, another D1 failure.

He was actually good. 7-1 in the UFC with 6 finishes. Got caught by FKL yeah, but Gregor had the cardio and grappling that very few guys could handle.

He was a dog in there, his last fight with CDF he was in trouble early but hung in there and turned it around.

Dude just likes fishing more than fighting and decided to just kind of fade away.
 
Dude talks too much, hasn't done shit in MMA.
 
Btw MMA wrestling is different than just freestyle wrestling or whatever wrestling Bo Nickal was great at. There a big difference I believe.
 
UFC should just keep throwing him in there with top 10 MW’s. It’s the only way he’s going to learn. And he ain’t never gonna learn.
 
Bo Nickal is eyeing up a comeback at UFC 322 in Madison Square Garden on November 15.

Nickal told talkSPORT.com how he's now using Khamzat Chimaev's title win as 'blueprint' for reaching UFC success:

“It gives me confidence in a lot of different ways,” he said about Chimaev's win over du Plessis.

“I saw what he was able to do in a championship title fight, and it's a great blueprint for myself to copy. He was able to impose his wrestling and grappling
to dominate for 25 straight minutes and was never endangered the whole fight. It was a very flawless, easy victory."

However, Nickal himself was brought straight back to the drawing board when he was stopped four months ago by Reinier de Ridder, now ranked no.4.
Should he win his fight in October, de Ridder could get a title shot against Chimaev, who Nickal says has identifiable weaknesses:

"I see holes in the game still. I really, really doubt he would be able to take me down. I know that my cardio would hold up. I know for a fact he's not taking
me down quickly... It would be interesting. Everybody saw what happened last fight when you put him against another striking-based guy, it's probably going
to be the same thing, right? All these guys, he takes them down, throws them down, and smashes them."

“But the grappling-based guys are a different story, and there I would be by far the best grappling-based guy he's fought if we do match up.”

Nickal concluded by asserting that Chimaev is someone he had always wanted to fight, but doesn't believe the champion has the patience to 'clear out' a
whole division and fight any up-and-comers. But he said that if he had defeated de Ridder, he would've been just one fight away from earning his first UFC
title shot, and thus believes a meeting with Chimaev is still there should he get back to winning ways.

Do I think Bo can beat Khamzat or even be competitive in the fight?

giphy.gif
 
He's gonna have to just keep talking about Khamzat, because he'll never actually get to face him since he won't get past the top 16 below (not counting MVP)

1) Borz
2) Dricus
3) Imavov
4) RDR
5) Izzy
6) Fluffy
7) Rob
8) Strickland
9) Cannonier
10) MVP
11) Costa
12) Caio
13) Robocop
14) Vettori
15) Joker
16) Magomedov
17) Allen

I'd even pick Dolidze and Fatselum over Bobo.
 
He's gonna have to just keep talking about Khamzat, because he'll never actually get to face him since he won't get past the top 16 below (not counting MVP)

1) Borz
2) Dricus
3) Imavov
4) RDR
5) Izzy
6) Fluffy
7) Rob
8) Strickland
9) Cannonier
10) MVP
11) Costa
12) Caio
13) Robocop
14) Vettori
15) Joker
16) Magomedov
17) Allen

I'd even pick Dolidze and Fatselum over Bobo.

MW is deeeep
 
If Khamzat doesnt wanna wrestle he will easily kickbox Bo into Bolivia and son him around the cage. He is big dude with freakish strength. Bo is undersized compared to RDR and Khamzat.
 
I'm all for hating Bo Nickal. But if RDR ends up becoming ranked #2 and earning a title shot, that's a pretty legit loss.
 
I'm all for hating Bo Nickal. But if RDR ends up becoming ranked #2 and earning a title shot, that's a pretty legit loss.
He's definitely a legit loss anyway. Hes beat 4 straight and is a dual champ in ONE. So it's not that losing to RDR is a bad thing, more just that Bo isnt where he thinks he is at and keeps talking like he's in the the contender mix when he's not.
 
He's gonna have to just keep talking about Khamzat, because he'll never actually get to face him since he won't get past the top 16 below (not counting MVP)

1) Borz
2) Dricus
3) Imavov
4) RDR
5) Izzy
6) Fluffy
7) Rob
8) Strickland
9) Cannonier
10) MVP
11) Costa
12) Caio
13) Robocop
14) Vettori
15) Joker
16) Magomedov
17) Allen

I'd even pick Dolidze and Fatselum over Bobo.
Fatsulem would actually be a great test and fun fight. Big Kev is a solid wrestler, thick and hits like a truck. Not to mention he's a dog when it gets ugly.
 
? Bo has one loss?

Khamzat shot for 17 takedowns and kept DDP down and controlled 22'ish minutes of the fight.
He had trouble against short notice Usman with good wrestling and went the distance over 3 rounds.
Now, what happens when he fights someone with Nickal's pedigree who has just seen that he doesn't need to entertain us mouthbreathers and can instead focus on wrestling?
What does Khamzat look like defending against takedowns for 25 minutes?

Like I said, Styles make fights.

We know Chimaev has fantastic wrestling with decent striking that is usually reliant on the fear of the takedown, so why not see what happens when you stick him in there with another fighter with mediocre striking and stellar wrestling.
People sleep on Khamzats striking. If Bo got outstruck and finished with strikes by RDR, he has even less chance against Khamzat in that department. And Khamzat would damn sure have shored up his takedown defense and counter wrestling if he was fighting Bo, because that would be Bo's only path to victory
 
Doubt he can even break into the top 5 anymore after getting his confidence shattered. Even before losing to RDR, his MMA wrestling did not look impressive.
 
Lets just get back on a W before you worry about Khamzat.
 
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