Khamzat Chimaev versus Bo Nickal is already starting to feel like an inevitable match up.
New Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster member, Nickal, has made it clear that he believes he’s ready for Chimaev as soon as possible despite only having three professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fights. The Middleweight uber-prospect will make his debut at UFC 282 against Jamie Pickett on Dec. 10, 2022, but oddsmakers have already provided a line for a hypothetical meeting with “Borz.”
BestFightOdds shared today (Tues., Oct. 4, 2022) that Nickal opens as a +330 underdog to Chimaev’s -400 favorite in a future collision. For comparison, Nate Diaz, Chimaev’s last scheduled opponent at UFC 279 before things got shuffled around, was as large +700 with his underdog status. Chimaev was -1200 in the match up.
Chimaev is currently ranked No. 3 in the Welterweight division below the highly-touted Nickal, but has fought multiple fights in his career at 185 pounds. The aforementioned Diaz scramble led to Chimaev’s immediate weight class is in question as he missed the 170 pound mark by 7.5 pounds. Therefore, Chimaev then took on Kevin Holland at a 180 pounds Catchweight, defeating “Loud Mouth” via first round d’arce choke submission in his typical dominant fashion.
The comparisons between Chimaev and Nickal are obvious thanks to their grappling backgrounds. Between the two in MMA competition, they’ve yet to taste defeat in a combined 15 outings.
It remains to be seen where Chimaev ends up staying next when it comes to division, but he’s recently hinted at wanting a fight against Colby Covington. Being as highly ranked as he currently is, that would be the only logical fight for him at Welterweight outside of a title shot.