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After Bo Nickal called out Khamzat Chimaev on Tuesday, a juicy betting line was set for a potential middleweight match between the two elite grapplers.
SportsBetting.ag opened Chimaev as a -400 favorite while Nickal was a +330 underdog. However, a flurry of bets on Nickal greatly shifted the odds.
"I’m a main card guy," a confident UFC newcomer Nickal said, adding that he will retire if put on the prelims.
“I don’t know if it’s in the contract, (but) they’ll do the right thing, they’ll do the smart thing. Like I said, if I’m on the prelims, I’ll retire. I’m out.
“I’ve seen them do it before. I’ve seen them do, like, a bigger fight on the prelims and stuff. But I’m a main card guy. It just doesn’t make sense.
“It’s Dana White’s Contender Series again, but I’m main eventing Dana White’s Contender Series at 2-0. Every fight I’m in is the main event. They’re putting me on the main card.”
Presumably, Chimaev ranks among those "worthy" of fighting the 3-0 Nickal.
“I just think, first off, this dude talks about he’s ready to go always, he’s a gangster, this and that — bro, you can’t even beat the scale,” Nickal said on The MMA Hour. “What are you doing? This is just a dude that has no accountability and doesn’t treat the sport professionally. That makes me way less nervous to fight him in the future, because we’re going to fight. I know he’s not committed like I am. He’s not willing to do the things that I’m willing to do.
“Yeah, he’s talented. Yeah, he has skills. But if that’s how you approach the sport, if that’s how you treat it, we’re on different levels. People will act like I’m talking crazy because I say I’m ready to go — Chimaev, let’s get it — but reality is this dude won three national titles in Sweden and then came into MMA and has 10 fights. I’ve been competing since I was 5 [years old]. I had 120-plus NCAA wrestling matches. I won a U23 world championship. I’m coming with 10 times the experience you have. So when people say, ‘You’re not ready, stay in your lane’ — y’all don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, so you’ll see what happens once we get in the cage.”
Fight Odds
Bo Nickal +250
Khamzat Chimaev -300
- Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
