“I think that people need to get to know me, and the more they get to know me, the more they’re going to realize that ‘Hey, I’m that guy’. There’s nothing that anybody else can do about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if when we [Nickal vs. Chimaev] fight, I’m like a -1000 favorite, same as I have been in all these other fights.” Talk about a tall claim! This ill-advised interview of Bo Nickal with Ariel Helwani ahead of UFC 300 is the perfect example of this.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, Nickal was the most hyped prospect in the UFC. Not quite as hyped as Khamzat Chimaev, who is perhaps the most hyped prospect in the history of the promotion, but he was close. And why not? A three-time NCAA wrestling champ coming to the UFC seemed like a no-brainer. What helped quite a bit also was that he was involved in a mini-feud with ‘Borz’, with both men going back and forth dissing each other.
Apart from his claims on ‘The MMA Hour’, Nickal had even called Chimaev’s wrestling skills “trash” and claimed he would “rag doll” the Chechnya native. But with Nickal suffering a one-sided loss to Reiner de Ridder in their UFC Des Moines clash this weekend, his statement about Chimaev, who is about to fight for the title, has come back to haunt the Penn State native.
Fans, as you can imagine, are revelling in trolling Nickal and reminding him of the claims he had made. But all this hasn’t gone down well with fellow amateur wrestler, Daniel Cormier, who jumped to Nickal’s defense on his ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ show with Chael Sonnen on ESPN MMA.
“Doesn’t it suck though, at how much joy people seem to be taking from this [Nickal’s loss to de Ridder]. It’s almost like they want the athlete to be confident. They want the athlete to be sure. But then, when the athlete’s sure, it’s like ‘oh he’s too arrogant.’ Maybe Bo’s going a little far talking about Chimaev, here’s what he never said, though, Chael. He never said he could beat Khamzat Chimaev in a fight. He said in a wrestling match, he would beat Khamzat Chimaev. And still, to this day, I believe that he never said he would beat Khamzat Chimaev. He can’t beat Khamzat Chimaev, that was never a thing,” ‘DC’ told ‘Uncle Chael’ on their show.
MMA: UFC Fight Night – Des Moines – de Ridder v Nickal May 3, 2025 Des Moines, Iowa, UNITED STATES Bo Nickal blue gloves reacts after losing to Reinier de Ridder, not pictured during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena Iowa UNITED STATES, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xReesexStricklandx 20250503_jhp_ax4_0427
What did worry the former double champ, however, was that he feels that Nickal hasn’t really evolved or improved his skills since 2019, when Cormier first saw the three-time NCAA D1 champ in action.
“At least not now… I remember when I was fighting Stipe Miocic, we were gonna try to get Bo Nickal… that recruiting trip that was 2019. If anything is worrisome to me, it’s that he hasn’t developed further in terms of his skill set. That, to me, is what’s concerning a little bit,” he added. And that is perhaps why the UFC great was forced to come to a dire conclusion about Nickal’s status in the middleweight division.
Daniel Cormier feels Bo Nickal is just not good enough for the top level
The consensus is that Bo Nickal got fraud-checked by Reiner de Ridder. The Dutch former ONE FC double champ not only stopped the hyped American prospect in the second round, but dominated him everywhere during their UFC Des Moines clash last weekend. And even guys like ‘DC’ and Chael Sonnen, who come from a collegiate wrestling background and were Nickal’s biggest cheerleaders, have been forced to acknowledge that Nickal is just not good enough for the highest level of the sport.
“Do you think, subconsciously, I got this from our good friend Adam Feller? Do you think subconsciously, Bo Nickal was doing the weight thing because he was very concerned about Reiner de Ridder’s size, ‘cuz RDR is a big dude. Especially when they walked out there, RDR was big, he was just walking him down. And, honestly, Chael, he made Bo look like a guy that isn’t that good and not ready for the highest level of competition,” ‘DC’ told co-host Sonnen on their ‘Good Guy/Bad Guy’ ESPN MMA show.
RDR, for context, was the first-ranked opponent Nickal had faced in his four-fight stint in the UFC. And if what was promised to be a future title contender cannot even beat a #13 ranked guy, how could he ever even think of contending for the title? But then again, RDR is no ordinary fighter and is of prodigal stock, having been a double champ in ONE Championship.
Maybe the Dutchman is just a championship-level guy, and Nickal was unlucky to run into him when he was #13 in the division. There is only one way to find out just how good Bo Nickal really is. Wait for him to fight another ranked guy. What do you think about ‘DC’ defending Bo Nickal’s comments about Khamzat Chimaev?
The post Daniel Cormier Twists Narrative to Defend Bo Nickal For Bold Khamzat Chimaev Fight Claim Before His UFC Des Moines Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.
