Daniel Cormier thinks Bo Nickal is getting way ahead of himself by calling Khamzat Chimaev out.
Nickal (3-0), who earned a UFC deal on Dana White’s Contender Series 56 on Tuesday, has wasted no time making his mark. Immediately after finishing Donovan Beard in 52 seconds, Nickal said he’s ready to challenge unbeaten contender Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC), which turned many heads – including Dana White and Cormier.
“Call out Khamzat Chimaev? I love the confidence. But Bo, calm your ass down,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “He’ll tell me I’m crazy. He will. But Khamzat Chimaev right now? It’s too much. It’s too much. He’s not going to beat Khamzat Chimaev today. Now, down the line, he just might. He just might be a guy that can compete. But right now, he needs a little work.
“He will now get fights that actually should allow for him to continue to build because even though in boxing, you know when a guy is in there to lose. UFC won’t make it as obvious, but you’ll see him in there with people that you know Bo Nickal is going to beat.”
Nickal already has his octagon debut booked. He meets Jamie Pickett at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cormier thinks Nickal’s callout of Chimaev is premature, but understands where the standout wrestler’s confidence is coming from.
“When you’ve done the things that he’s done, why wouldn’t you be confident, and why wouldn’t that confidence be warranted?” Cormier said. “I believe it’s warranted. I believe Bo Nickal is talking the talk because he believes that he can back it up.”
