"Khabib wouldn't beat Nickal. He'd get pinned in 30 seconds" - Fans debate over who the better wrestler is between Bo Nickal and Khabib Nurmagomedov
![Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) and Bo Nickal (right). [Image courtesy: Getty Images]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/08/29ba4-16601579684806-1920.jpg?w=500)
Khabib Nurmagomedov elevated the standards when it came to dominance on the ground. He wrestled, grappled and mauled his opponents routinely on the ground, winning many of his fights through submissions and ground-and-pound TKOs.
Dana White's Contender Series' latest competitor Bo Nickal has somewhat of a reputation as a wrestler himself. With three gold medals at the NCAA division one national championships and three more at the Big Ten championships, he has a sterling record in collegiate wrestling.
His foray into mixed martial arts has so far been solid. He knocked out his opponent in his first ever MMA fight and gained a submission victory in the second. His wrestling pedigree has prompted many fans to draw parallels to retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
A Twitter user posted a picture of Nickal citing him as America's 'Khabib':
America we have a khabib https://t.co/1eLbVs7lwb
One user even made the claim that 'The Allen Assasin' would beat 'The Eagle':
@lifeisasim @JNeverRedy @RagnarokEterna2 @yvngthik Khabib wouldn’t beat Nickal he’d get pinned in 30 seconds
Fans debate over who has the better wrestling pedigree between Bo Nickal and Khabib Nurmagomedov
The original post kickstarted a debate over who would outwrestle the other between Nurmagomedov and Nickal based on their past achievements. The Dagestani's skillset was compared to the young upstart American to which one user responded with a list of Nickal's noteworthy milestones:
@RagnarokEterna2 @yvngthik Did you just say khabib has a better wrestling pedigree than Bo? Khabib never competed in wrestling or at least I can't find anything. Bo is a 3 time national champion, won the hodge trophy and only lost to David Taylor who was a Gold medalistat at the 2020 Olympics that year.
This was immediately refuted by a now deleted reply that mentioned Nurmagomedov's own wrestling feats:
"Lol come on Khabib’s a 2-time Sambo world champion. Any of his Dagestani opponents would have mopped the floor with Bo. That region produces more Olympic gold medalists per capita in combat sports than any other region in the world."
Other fans criticized Nurmagomedov's slow-paced style:
@yvngthik Not true, didn’t lay and pray
However, 'The Eagle' was a terrifying prospect on the ground for any fighter:
@daqlol @yvngthik Khabib was actually one of the most brutal ground and pound fighters ever. He was super active on the ground, I’m curious as to why you think he was “lay and pray”?
Some fans criticized the quality of opponents Khabib Nurmagomedov faced:
@daliman13 @yvngthik A quarter of Khabib’s opponents had zero career wins
@yvngthik I doubt khabib faced actual fighters his 1st and 2nd fights.
@yvngthik Khabib went 17-0 against tomato cans before going to the ufc. Bo is 2-0. Will se when he faces a good nemesis what happens
Many others tried to quell the comparisons between a fighter with two fights under his belt and an international champion who was utterly dominant throughout his career:
@yvngthik I like Bo but you guys need to calm down on both fronts. Those who expect him to fight world champs on his 3rd mma fight ever or those who hype him up prematurely, let him keep dominating a few more guys before you jerk him off.
@yvngthik Well that’s premature. He is no Khabib. Khabib has a better wrestling pedigree and far more vicious ground game - both submission and G&P.
Bo Nickal hasn't yet earned a UFC contract owing to his small sample size of a professional record. However, he has caught Dana White's eye and earned an invite to the next Dana White's Contender Series event in September.