"This guy is crazy as fu**" - Bo Nickal calls for grappling match against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat Chimaev, and Georges St-Pierre on same night
Bo Nickal hasn't even made it to the UFC yet, but he's already calling out several legends of mixed martial arts.
Nickal is a three time NCAA Division I national champion, which places him amongst some of the best collegiate wrestlers to ever compete. He made his professional MMA debut last weekend at IKON FC 3, knocking out his opponent in just 33 seconds. With his wrestling credentials and heavy hands, there's no doubt he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the sport.
π½π πππΎππΌπ HAS ARRIVED!!! #iKONFC3
[ @iKONFights | πππ©π π‘π’πͺ | on #UFCFIGHTPASS ] https://t.co/Lo4EOHkMEL
Rather than wait for the UFC to call him up from the minors, Bo Nickal asked his manager Malki Kawa to try and set up a rather unusual grappling event. On Twitter Kawa wrote:
"This guy Bo Nickal is crazy af! Heβs asked me to set up grappling matches with the following, all on the same nightβ¦ DC, khabib, gsp, ben askren and chimaev as an alternate If someone backs out. Lolβ¦ would you guys pay too watch this?"
This guy @NoBickal is crazy af! Heβs asked me to set up grappling matches with the following, all on the same nightβ¦ @dc_mma khabib, gsp, ben askren and chimaev as an alternate If someone backs out. Lolβ¦ would you guys pay too watch this?
There's little chance Nickal could convince any of the fighters on his list to compete in a grappling match with him, let alone all five on one night. However, the request is a sign that Nickal has an eye for promotion in addition to his fighting skills in the cage.
He's not an easy man to impress but @NoBickal has had @GamebredFighter's attention for years.
#iKonFC3 goes down TONIGHT!! https://t.co/Gwb3TlipX5
How do Bo Nickal's grappling skills match up with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Khamzat Chimaev?
It can be hard to compare the resumes of American wrestlers with international grapplers because few countries have programs as well developmed as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA organizes an extensive series of wrestling competitions and tournaments to prepare young athletes for potential Olympic competition.
Bo Nickal is a three time NCAA Division I national champion, winning in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2016 he placed second, and if he had won, he'd join a very small handful of wrestling legends to win four championships in Division I, the highest skill division.
Just released a voiceover breakdown analyzing a handful of my favorite sequences from Olympic Team Trials. Here is an excerpt of the Bo Nickal chin whip breakdown: https://t.co/xbC20y3xZa
Nickal never made it to the Olympics, but qualified for the 2020 US Olympic Team Trials. Unfortunately, those trials were postponed along with the 2020 Olympics due to COVID-19. When competition opened back up in April 2021, Nickal missed his shot at going to Tokyo after losing twice to David Taylor, who would go on to win a gold medal.
In comparison, Khabib Nurmagomedov has two Sambo world championships under his belt. Khamzat Chimaev has three gold medals from the Swedish Freestyle National Championships in freestyle wrestling, and is always ready to toss someone around.
some actions from first round chimaev vs hermansson #bfn9 https://t.co/NfUlEulKMo
While Nickal's NCAA pedigree is more impressive than Chimaev's Swedish National Championships, both Chimaev and Nurmagomedov are sambo specialists, which is a combat oriented grappling skill. Nickal is undoubtedly an expert on scoring points in freestyle and folkstyle competition. However, his ability to use his wrestling effectively in the cage remains to be seen.
(Kiev, 2010).. wearing UFC gloves 
Young Khabib in World Combat Sambo Championship finals π (Kiev, 2010).. wearing UFC gloves π https://t.co/mxSwqIHhJm