Ex-UFC Opponent Settles Khamzat Chimaev vs. Bo Nickal’s Wrestling Debate: LW Star Chimes In- “His Technique on MMA in Wrestling/Grappling Is Unmatched”

Middleweight contenders Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev have always talked about being better than the other, especially when it comes to wrestling. Besides, it is common for most fighters to rank themselves above their rivals. Nevertheless, that debate has seemingly garnered interest from a couple of other UFC fighters, who cleared their stance on Nickal and Chimaev’s wrestling skills.

In a recent appearance on ‘The MMA Hour‘, Bo Nickal made a bold statement. That statement was also a prediction, where the 27-year-old claimed that if he ever gets to fight Khamzat Chimaev, he’d ‘Ragdoll’ him, which is the specialty of the undefeated Emirati fighter. Well, lightweight star Renato Moicano doesn’t think so, which he made apparent in his recent statement.

Renato Moicano says Khamzat Chimaev is ‘unmatched’

The 34-year-old lightweight star gave a pretty good insight into the debate regarding who’s the better wrestler between Bo Nickal and Khamzat Chimaev. He pointed out two aspects of wrestling: college or amateur wrestling and wrestling inside the Octagon. In the professional fighting space, Renato Moicano claimed that Chimaev was ahead of Nickal in MMA wrestling.

“If you’re talking about college wrestling, Bo Nickal. If you talk about MMA, it’s Khamzat [Chimaev],” said Renato Moicano during a recent edition of the ‘Show Me the Money’ podcast. Moicano picked Chimaev citing the UFC 294 performance ‘Borz’ showcased against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

“The way he [Chimaev] did against [Kamaru] Usman, [it] impress[ed] me. Usman’s a very, very good wrestler. The way he got his back and he [controlled] him was very impressive. His technique in MMA in wrestling/grappling is unmatched,” Moicano added.

With a freestyle wrestling record of 28-10 and an NCAA record of 120-3, Nickal was already highly rated when he made his UFC debut. The promotion has pushed him with three main card spots for his three UFC fights so far. But a large section of the UFC fan base was not pleased to see Nickal taking these spots over more experienced fighters, especially at UFC 300.

Notwithstanding the backlash, Nickal is keeping his undefeated run intact, but is Chimaev more than he can chew? Moicano’s compatriot certainly seems to think so.

Moicano finds support from fellow Brazilian over Chimaev’s wrestling claims

Out of all the opponents Khamzat Chimaev has fought in the UFC, Gilbert Burns may have been his biggest challenge to date. The undefeated Emirati had finished all of his opponents before fighting ‘Durinho.’ But in their UFC 273 bout, ‘Borz’ was only able to earn a unanimous decision win. And Burns seemed to agree with Renato Moicano’s assessment of ‘Borz’s MMA wrestling.

“I think this guy’s a beast. I agree. I think MMA right now, Khamzat is [on] a different level. If you go pure wrestling, yeah, Bo Nickal for sure. But MMA, Khamzat is a beast,” Burns said.

7-0 in the UFC and 13-0 overall, Chimaev has also faced tougher competition than Nickal. His next outing is against former champion and middleweight great Robert Whittaker on June 22 in Saudi Arabia. The 29-year-old has managed to get his hand raised despite the competition getting tougher and testing his resolve in his last few fights.

Meanwhile, UFC 300 was the first time Bo Nickal went past the opening round of a fight. The American has maintained his stance about being a better wrestler than Khamzat Chimaev. But fans have fired back at the middleweight prospect on social media. Until they square off against each other, it would be unwise to declare who’s the better fighter. Will we see these two clash down the line?