Bo Nickal wasn't surprised by Khamzat Chimaev's mauling of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308: "I kind of thought he would do that"
Bo Nickal has not been shy about expressing his desire to face Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of his return to the octagon, which will come against Paul Craig at UFC 309 this weekend, the rising middleweight prospect revealed that he was impressed but not surprised as 'Borz' was able to pick up a first-round submission victory against Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on his self-titled show, Nickal shared his thoughts on the bout, stating:
"Yeah, I did watch it and I think it was super impressive. To be honest, it's funny because a lot of people expected that to be a tough fight for him and - you can ask around, all the people that I talked to - I kind of thought he would do that to Whittaker. It's one thing to think that or to kind of see that happening, but he actually did it, which is super impressive."
He continued:
"Whittaker is not an easy fight for anybody and he made it look easy so I was really impressed with his last performance and yeah. It seemed like he kind of took a different mentality into the fight, as well, which was cool to see, but that's a fight I'm looking forward to. I think, obviously, he's quite a bit ahead of me right now, but he'll be fighting for the belt soon and then I'll catch up quick."
Check out Bo Nickal's comments on Khamzat Chimaev beating Robert Whittaker below:
Chimaev rose to No.3 in the middleweight rankings following his victory over Whittaker. While the timeline remains unclear, it appears that his next fight will mark his first opportunity to compete for a UFC title, as the bout was a title eliminator.
Bo Nickal reveals his path to fighting for a UFC title
Bo Nickal will return to the octagon this weekend as he faces Paul Craig in what figures to be the toughest test of his mixed martial arts career. The former NCAA national champion in wrestling recently shared what he believes will be his path to fight for an undisputed UFC title.
During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the rising middleweight prospect stated:
"If you look at anybody else's career, they're fighting over a decade before they're in that position and I think I'll be in there probably around - I'm basically there. If I win one or two more fights then I'm fighting a ranked guy then I'm fighting a top five then I'm fighting for the belt. If I have six fights right now, I'm already passed the halfway point if that's the trajectory."
Check out Bo Nickal's comments on fighting for a UFC title below:
While Craig is riding a two-bout losing streak, both losses have come against fighters currently in the top ten of the middleweight rankings. Nickal, who has finished all six opponents in his mixed martial arts career, will have the opportunity to make a statement and likely earn a bout against a ranked opponent.