Highly touted UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal has claimed his wish to fight Khamzat Chimaev. Yes, he has mentioned this a lot for a wrestler vs wrestler showdown. However, he believes this should not be an ordinary fight. Instead, Nickal believes his fight against Chimaev will be a blockbuster event. He wants it reserved for the biggest occasion and under the brightest lights.

Ever since Bo Nickal made his UFC debut in 2023, he’s been looking to land that fight against Khamzat Chimaev and even made bold claims that his wrestling would weigh heavily on the Chechnyan-born star. “That’s the fight I’ve been waiting for a long time and, you know, we’ll make it happen,” the middleweight prospect told UFC legend Chael Sonnen on YouTube. Meanwhile, when Nickal scored a decision victory at UFC 309, he didn’t really live up to his expectations, leading him to admit that he needed to up his game.

Nevertheless, the former 3-time NCAA champion believes he will meet Khamzat Chimaev inside the Octagon, preferably, in a title fight. “I think that it’s just like that fight is massive and, you know, it’s been talked about since I very first started MMA. So I feel like the proper circumstance is for the belt. Like, it has to be for the belt, in my mind,” the 28-year-old added.

Khamzat Chimaev is now looking to get that all-important title shot, and the outcome of the UFC 312 headliner could see him taking on the 185-pound champion next. Nevertheless, the undefeated star has revealed what Bo Nickal needs to do to secure a fight against him. Here’s what Chimaev had to say.

Khamzat Chimaev claimed Bo Nickal needs to ‘grow up’

Following Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant win over former champion Robert Whittaker, he responded to the question about why the UFC hasn’t paired him up with Bo Nickal for a fight. For him, the middleweight prospect is still a bit younger and less experienced than him.

At this stage, Chimaev is convinced that he’ll put on a clinic against Nickal. But in a few years, ‘Borz’ believes the former NCAA champion will improve and give him a much tougher challenge than he can now with just four UFC fights under his belt.

“Why is it they didn’t pick him? I don’t know because they think the guy is too early for him, too young. I don’t know how old he is, but in MMA, it doesn’t mean that your age [determines if] you’re prepared to fight,” Khamzat Chimaev told Nina Marie Daniele.

“The guy is too young for the sport. He has to grow up, and if we fight now, I’m gonna smash that guy easily in the first round. Maybe later, when I’m older, he’ll give me a tougher fight, but I’m for sure gonna win that time as well.”

Bo Nickal has yet to fight as a ranked fighter in the UFC. Hence, it might be a while before he gets into the rankings and challenges for the title. But do you think when he finds himself under title contention, Khamzat Chimaev will be waiting for him? Let us know in the comments down below.