Bo Nickal Left in the Cold: No Call for the Chimaev Fight at UFC 294

In a surprising turn of events, rising MMA star Bo Nickal reveals his disappointment over not being considered to step in against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 294. Despite the last-minute pull-out of Paulo Costa, the UFC didn’t reach out to Nickal, opting instead for former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman.

Nickal, voicing his frustration on his YouTube channel, felt sidelined by the UFC’s decision not to include him in the considerations for the high-stakes bout.

“I was expecting at least an ask,” Nickal stated, hinting at a belief that the UFC might be protecting Chimaev from a potential upset in front of his home crowd in Abu Dhabi.

The snub, however, hasn’t dampened Nickal’s spirits or his anticipation for a future clash with Chimaev.

“We’ll do it another time. It’s a good fight [between Chimaev and Usman],” he reflected, acknowledging the competitive nature of the upcoming bout based on Chimaev’s recent performance against Gilbert Burns.

Nickal’s confidence isn’t unfounded. With a sterling start in his professional MMA journey, he boasts two emphatic first-round victories in the UFC, continuing the momentum from his success on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Regarding Usman’s entry into the fray, Nickal expressed skepticism about Usman’s long-term plans in the middleweight division. He speculated about Usman’s future, especially if a title fight against Sean Strickland were on the table, noting it would be an unexpected twist as Usman

“has never really been on my radar.”

While Bo Nickal’s immediate future doesn’t include a showdown with Khamzat Chimaev, his trajectory in the UFC points to big things ahead. Despite the setback, Nickal remains a fighter to watch, his eyes firmly set on climbing the ranks and eventually colliding with the very best in the division.