The head coach of former bantamweight king Sean O’Malley believes there is one man who could be Khamzat Chimaev’s kryptonite. However, he still needs more time to develop.
Over the last four years, Russian Khamzat Chimaev has become one of the most popular rising stars in the UFC. However, instead of being a flashy and powerful striker like Israel Adesanya or Conor McGregor, Chimaev is a wrestling-smashing machine that has dominated opponents on the mat.
Related: Khamzat Chimaev’s next fight – Who should “Borz” face in his Octagon return?
“Borz” has won all eight of his bouts inside the Octagon, and just two of them went the distance. In that time he has also scored dominant wins over respected UFC veterans Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland. Plus, he has victories over former champions Kamaru Usman and most recently Robert Whittaker.
At this point, the 30-year-old seems like an unstoppable force that will eventually win UFC middleweight gold. However, one of the best young coaches in the sport claimed this week there is one specific fighter that could be trouble for Chimaev. Super prospect Bo Nickal.
- Khamzat Chimaev record: 14-0 (5 knockouts, 7 submissions)
Could Bo Nickal be Khamzat Chimaev’s kryptonite?
“I tweeted, ‘Bo Nickal might be our only hope.’ [People] were fired up about that,” Tim Welch said in a new video post on O’Malley’s YouTube channel. “I didn’t mean Bo Nickal right now. [I] feel like Bo Nickal right now might get beat up by Khamzat. But, a year-and-a-half, if Bo keeps developing his striking, he’s one guy who could match his wrestling in the middleweight division.”
The former Penn State wrestler is one of the most hyped MMA prospects in some time due to winning three national championships during his stint with the Nittany Lions. While he has a ways to go before competing with the elites of the division, he has shown early signs of developing a striking game to go with his elite wrestling.
He is 6-0 overall and has earned three straight finishes in his bouts inside the Octagon. Two of which came in the first round.
Related: Bo Nickal’s next fight – Get details on the super prospect’s UFC return
