Jorge Masvidal insists ‘world class’ Bo Nickal would have zero issue taking down Khamzat Chimaev

Jorge Masvidal says not even Khamzat Chimaev could defend teammate Bo Nickal’s wrestling

Among those who have aided in Nickal’s development at American Top Team in Coconut Creek is Jorge Masvidal, a UFC star who is plotting his own comeback to the Octagon in 2026.

During the first episode of his new Death Row MMA podcast, ‘Gamebred’ gave insight into Nickal’s training while in conversation with Henry Cejudo.

Masvidal touted his teammate for big things, claiming that not even Chimaev would stand a chance at defending against Nickal’s takedowns.

“In Bo’s case, he had the wrong strategy in that fight (against De Ridder),” Masvidal said. “He’s such a next-level wrestler. … I know Bo could have took him down and controlled him.

“He’s an elite wrestler. He’s one of the best ever. … I think if he changes up a thing here, changes up a thing there, this guy is like a legitimate world-class problem.

“There is not a guy that can stop his takedown — not Chimaev, not nobody, bro,” he continued. “When he is on and he’s just wrestling, nobody’s going to be able to stop his takedowns.”

Bo Nickal predicted he’d be a favorite over Khamzat Chimaev before suffering his first UFC loss

Nickal himself has been extremely confident when it comes to a future fight with the middleweight king.

But his claims regarding the matchup took a hit when he lost his undefeated status in Des Moines. Before being stopped by De Ridder, Nickal made a bold claim about the Chimaev bout, suggesting he could be a -1000 favorite over ‘Borz’ down the line.

“Who were you fighting at 5-0 bro? Some random dude in Europe,” Nickal said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I’m fighting in the UFC at UFC 300, so there’s levels to this. I think that people need to get to know me and the more they get to know me the more they’re going to realize that, hey, I’m that guy.

“There’s nothing that anybody else can do about that. I wouldn’t be surprised if when we fight I’m like a -1000 favorite, same as I have been in all these other fights,” he added.

Since those comments, the unbeaten Chechen has risen to the top of the UFC middleweight division. Chimaev dominated Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 to become champion and put a sizable gap between himself and Nickal in the promotion.