Tresean Gore wants Khamzat Chimaev next after upcoming Bo Nickal bout

Tresean Gore has suggested that he'd like to fight Khamzat Chimaev after beating Bo Nickal. Gore is expected to face undefeated prospect Nickal in a highly-anticipated middleweight bout at UFC 290 on July 8.

MMA fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen has now suggested that the No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev could return to the middleweight division for his next fight.

Khamzat Chimaev steps on the scale at 178.5 pounds, missing weight ahead of his #UFC279 main event bout. https://t.co/uSbqRUVH83

After 'Borz' missed weight for his last fight in September 2022, there's been speculation that he could return to middleweight. Sonnen addressed the situation on the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Sonnen indicated that Chimaev's next fight could potentially be a middleweight matchup against Paulo Costa, which will serve as the UFC 294 co-headliner on October 21.

Chael with breaking news?
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/1Hrwut4ogm

Speaking to James Lynch for MiddleEasy, Tresean Gore touched upon his upcoming fight against Bo Nickal and more. Upon being asked how Khamzat Chimaev would fare if he returns to middleweight, Gore stated:

"I don't know, man... He steams forward, and he tries to submit you, or tries to knock you out. I feel like he'll do good, man. He's hungry. But he's never fought me. None of these guys have never, like, everybody's just stuck on the losses I've had. They don't see that I'm still a 28-year-old man that's still evolving and becoming better. And that's what's gonna mess them all up."

"But yeah, I think Khamzat's gonna do good. After beating Bo [Nickal], I wanna fight Khamzat. And that's who I'm gonna call out... I want to fight the best fighters in the division."

Tresean Gore notably highlighted that if he doesn't call 'Borz' out, he'd like to fight top-tier middleweights such as Kelvin Gastelum and Dricus du Plessis instead.

Watch Gore discuss the topic at 13:03 in the video below:

Khamzat Chimaev believes "stupid" Bo Nickal isn't ready to fight him

American wrestling stalwart Bo Nickal has consistently asserted that he'd like to face Chechnya-born Swedish wrestling wizard Khamzat Chimaev someday.

Nickal has maintained that he'll beat 'Borz' if they clash inside the octagon. Chimaev was recently asked for his opinion regarding the same on a recent episode of The MMA Hour.

Nickal calls out Khamzat Chimaev and Logan Paul after his win:

"If the UFC wishes, give me that Swedish dude (Khamzat Chimaev).

"He may not even be the best guy because he can't even make weight."

On Paul:

"If we can't do it in the UFC, let's do it in the WWE."

Khamzat Chimaev emphasized that Bo Nickal is "stupid" if he thinks he can defeat him. He opined that Nickal currently isn't ready to fight him but could possibly make for a good opponent and entertaining matchup three years down the line. 'Borz' said:

"Maybe we'll meet some day. He's a good fighter, but still I didn't see so much. In three years, we'll see. When I come up maybe we'll fight for the title one day... He has to be stupid, brother, if he thinks [he can beat me]."

Watch Chimaev's assessment below:

Khamzat Chimaev responds to the idea that Bo Nickal could beat him right now 😳 #TheMMAHour

"He has to be stupid, brother, if he thinks like that."

▶️ youtube.com/watch?v=2mS-CV… https://t.co/1X9W5cku4X