UFC middleweight says Khamzat Chimaev has proven himself enough to face top middleweights, but not Bo Nickal

Bo Nickal's call-out for a fight against welterweight behemoth Khamzat Chimaev has been a hot topic of discussion in the MMA community.

Several UFC fans and analysts have fancied the American's chances against 'Borz' owing to his decorated wrestling career. On the flip side, certain sections of the MMA community believe that Nickal is going too far too soon by chasing fights against the likes of Khamzat Chimaev.

MMA Junkie

@MMAJunkie

Bo Nickal knows he's "probably not" going to get Khamzat Chimaev next, but says their fight is inevitable.

Full interview: bit.ly/3CdoOhq

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Bo Nickal knows he's "probably not" going to get Khamzat Chimaev next, but says their fight is inevitable. 👀

Full interview: bit.ly/3CdoOhq https://t.co/UkXvzi1Gx4

Serbian mixed martial artist Dusko Todorovic is of the opinion that while Chimaev has proved his worth competing against tough opponents, Nickal still has a lot left to prove, considering the hype around him.

Speaking to the media ahead of his scheduled fight against Jordan Wright at UFC Vegas 62, Todorovic claimed that Bo Nickal still has a long way to go, having only had three professional fights under his belt:

"I'm not sure if he can or cannot compete in the UFC top-10 level with those kind of guys. Everyone's trying to hype themselves up and create some images of themselves. But whether he can or cannot compete that I cannot tell you. I haven't really seen much of the things that he's done. But if he's only 3-0 in MMA, I don't think it's smart to go against someone who has competed multiple years at the top-level."

Todorovic added that, on the contrary, Chimaev has been battle tested and can very well pursue a move to the middleweight division:

"Considering what he's shown so far, I think for sure yes [Chimaev fighting in the middleweight division]. He [has] had big tests and everything, so I think he can definitely compete in the top-ten or top-five. He's right up there. He has the hype, he obviously has the skills to compete with those guys."

Dusko Todorovic has had a turbulent run in the UFC since graduating from Dana White's Contender Series, with three losses in his last five fights. He has the opportunity to turn things around when he faces Jordan Wright on the main card of UFC Vegas 62.

Watch Todorovic's pre-fight media scrum below:

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Daniel Cormier warns Bo Nickal after he called out Khamzat Chimaev

After securing the UFC contract in his second fight on DWCS, Bo Nickal seized the opportunity to call for a fight against surging superstar Khamzat Chimaev. Much is being made about Nickal's illustrious wrestling career and his chances against the undefeated Chechen-born Swedish mixed martial artist.

Chimaev's team has hinted at a potential move to middleweight after he missed weight terribly for his UFC 279 headliner clash against Nate Diaz.

Brett Okamoto

@bokamotoESPN

Spoke to Khamzat Chimaev's coach Andreas Michael this morning, he told me his guess is their next fight is at middleweight at the end of the year. Also described everything that happened during weight cut. Said it was his decision to stop the cut, not physicians.

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Spoke to Khamzat Chimaev's coach Andreas Michael this morning, he told me his guess is their next fight is at middleweight at the end of the year. Also described everything that happened during weight cut. Said it was his decision to stop the cut, not physicians.

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier advised Nickal to take matters slow while speaking on his YouTube show 3 Rounds with DC:

"Call out Khamzat Chimaev? I love the confidence, but Bo, calm your a** down. He'll tell me I'm crazy, but Khamzat Chimaev right now, it's too much, it's too much. He's not going to beat Khamzat Chimaev today. Now, down the line, he just might. He just might be a guy that can compete, but right now, he needs a little work."

Watch the full video below:

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