"What experience is it that you're referring to?" - Chael Sonnen dismisses notion that experience will give Khamzat Chimaev an edge in a potential matchup with Bo Nickal
UFC newcomer Bo Nickal called out Khamzat Chimaev after winning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series last month. According to Daniel Cormier, Nickal doesn't have enough experience to fight 'Borz' at the moment.
Daniel Cormier has his doubts that Bo Nickal could defeat Khamzat Chimaev | themaclife.com/sports/mma/dan… https://t.co/v5OTa47jwA
However, Chael Sonnen doesn't see a vast difference between the two fighters in terms of experience. 'The American Gangster' noted that Chimaev hasn't spent much time inside the octagon despite having six UFC wins. The former UFC fighter recently said on his YouTube channel:
"I don't know that we've seen enough from either guy. We keep talking about Nickal doesn't have the experience. Where is Chimaev's? I mean what experience are you talking about with Chimaev? He's had six fights, he's been in the octagon 20 minutes. Bo's never been in there and Chimaev's been in there for 20 minutes. What experience is it that you're referring to?"
Watch Chael Sonnen's comments on Khamzat Chimaev and Bo Nickal (4:15) below:
Only one of Khamzat Chimaev's six UFC outings has gone the distance. 'Borz' has absorbed a single significant strike in the UFC so far, barring his memorable war against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 earlier this year. He is coming off a dominant first-round submission win over Kevin Holland.
Bo Nickal, on the other hand, will make his UFC debut at UFC 282 in December against Jamie Pickett.
Bo Nickal books debut fight against Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 in December
Full story: mmafighting.com/2022/9/29/2337… https://t.co/D7tKjRU7r1
Daniel Cormier compares Khamzat Chimaev and Bo Nickal
With his two near-perfect performances in the latest season of Dana White's Contender Series, Bo Nickal has emerged as a very intriguing and promising contender in the middleweight division.
Nickal's wrestling background makes him a nightmare matchup for most 185-pounders, including the reigning champion, Israel Adesanya. However, Daniel Cormier believes that being proficient in wrestling doesn't always bear fruit in an MMA contest.
According to 'DC', implementing pure wrestling in MMA is a different ballgame. Cormier, a standout collegiate wrestler himself, noted that he had a lot of difficulty wrestling Jon Jones, who is a pure mixed martial artist. The UFC Hall of Famer recently said on DC & RC:
"When you match them up in just wrestling, I don’t believe that Khamzat can compete with him in just wrestling. But, in mixed martial arts that makes it a little more difficult to implement a strong wrestling base... Look, I struggled taking down Jon Jones even though I was a much more credentialed wrestler."
Watch the latest episode of the DC & RC below: