LAS VEGAS – Nick Maximov wants a piece of two of the most talked about names in the UFC.
Maximov (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), a training partner of Nate Diaz, witnessed the whole fiasco during UFC 279 fight week in which Diaz went from fighting Khamzat Chimaev to Tony Ferguson.
The shuffle happened because Chimaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) came in 7.5 pounds over the welterweight limit and Maximov thinks “Borz’s” attitude was inexcusable. If Chimaev moves back up to 185 pounds, Maximov welcomes a fight with him.
“Nate’s a ‘G’ forever, and I think the way Khamzat approached that sh*t showed his true colors,” Maximov told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC Fight Night 212 media day. “That’s some b*tch-made sh*t. I mean, I don’t care what you do at the end of your career or whatever bro – you cant be doing sh*t like that.
“I would love to fight that dude. Even just watching how he fought Kevin Holland, Kevin did a pretty good job for a day’s notice, and Kevin’s not a wrestler. So I think ’85 would be a really tough weight for him. I don’t see him getting past a lot of the top five, top 10 guys – but we’ll see.”
Another talked-about name is standout wrestler Bo Nickal (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who after just three professional fights already has taken the MMA world by storm. Nickal has called for Chimaev, himself, but Maximov thinks he’s getting too ahead of things.
“I would love to fight Bo Nickal,” Maximov said. “How can you say you’re going to compete with a top 10, top 15 guy, and no offense to Jamie Pickett, but fight Jamie Pickett? F*cking crazy, right? It just doesn’t make sense. These guys just say anything for a headline.”
Maximov will look to rebound from his first career loss to Andrei Petroski when he takes on Jacob Malkoun on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 212, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
