Bo Nickal has responded to news of Khamzat Chimaev signing with the RAF wrestling league by proposing himself as an opponent. Nickal appears eager to face Chimaev in a wrestling match under the RAF banner. This marks another instance of Nickal pursuing a confrontation with the Chechen-born fighter. The post suggests this may be a risky challenge for Nickal given their previous interactions.
Bo Nickal has publicly called out Khamzat Chimaev for a wrestling match under the RAF banner, responding directly to news that Chimaev had signed with the professional wrestling league. Nickal made clear he wants to be the man standing across from Chimaev on the mat, continuing a pattern of the American actively seeking a confrontation with the Chechen-born fighter.
Nickal, 30, competes out of American Top Team Happy Valley and carries a 9-1 professional MMA record. Standing six-foot-one with a 76-inch reach, the southpaw is a decorated wrestler who has translated his grappling pedigree effectively into MMA, averaging 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes and 2.5 submission attempts per 15 minutes. His striking accuracy sits at 61 percent, among the higher marks in the sport.
Chimaev, known as "Borz," presents a formidable wrestling counter. The 32-year-old is ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound, carrying a 15-1 record while representing the UAE and training out of Allstars Training Center in Sweden. At six-foot-two and 191 cm of reach, Chimaev averages a remarkable 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes in MMA competition — a figure that underlines why this callout carries real risk for Nickal. His striking output of 4.04 significant strikes per minute also marks him as one of the division's most relentless pressers.
Why it matters
- Chimaev's 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes in MMA dwarfs Nickal's 3.1, making a pure wrestling contest a genuinely uncertain proposition for the challenger
- Nickal has now pursued a Chimaev matchup on multiple occasions, signaling this rivalry has real personal stakes beyond a one-off social media exchange
- A high-profile RAF appearance for either fighter could raise both men's visibility heading into their next MMA assignments
