Bo Nickal: "I don't think Chimaev would disagree"- UFC analyst drops bold take that Bo Nickal could be Khamzat Chimaev’s toughest test

Khamzat Chimaev’s grip on the middleweight division is firm. However, the conversation around his toughest potential challenger keeps circling back to Bo Nickal, according to some analysts.

Once touted as a future star, Nickal now enters UFC 322 on the prelims. He is fighting to restore his reputation after a second-round loss to Reinier de Ridder in May.

The setback forced questions about his gas tank and striking maturity, leading the UFC to pull him off main-card billing. Nickal faces Rodolfo Vieira next, a decorated grappler who's capable of testing the American.

That being said, Chael Sonnen believes Nickal is the toughest matchup for Chimaev, regardless of the recent setback. Speaking in a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, he said:

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

"I don’t think Chimaev would disagree. Bo Nickal is still stylistically the hardest match for Chimaev. That would probably be his most difficult match on the whole roster... Bo Nickal is still stylistically the hardest match for Chimaev."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (47:00):

Chimaev sits atop a crowded field of contenders. Fighters like Anthony Hernandez, Caio Borralho, and de Ridder are chasing opportunities, but all signs point toward Nassourdine Imavov as the next challenger for 'Borz'.

Jorge Masvidal believes Bo Nickal is still a nightmare matchup for Khamzat Chimaev

Jorge Masvidal believes Bo Nickal is still a serious threat in the middleweight division. Despite his loss to Reinier de Ridder in May, Masvidal says the former NCAA champion remains one of the toughest wrestlers in the sport and a nightmare matchup for anyone, including Khamzat Chimaev.

Nickal’s aggressive approach and lack of patience cost him in his last outing. Speaking about the American fighter's future in an episode of Death Row MMA, Masvidal said:

"In Bo's case, he had the wrong strategy for that fight [vs. De Ridder]. He's such a next-level wrestler. That's not to diss De Ridder. I think he's a phenomenal fighter... I know Bo could have taken him down and controlled him better than just getting to the clinch and fighting, where RDR is so good at. I think his game planning was a little bad, but also the guy's been fast-tracked to fight the world's best right away."

He added:

"Yes, he's an elite wrestler, and he's one of the best ever, but still. They could have taken their time a little bit more with Bo. I think if he changes up a thing here, changes up a thing there, this guy is like a legitimate world-class problem. There's not a guy that can stop his takedown, not Chimaev, not nobody, bro. When he's on and he's just wrestling and letting it go, nobody's going to be able to stop his takedowns. These last two, three months, he's really been focusing on his standup and getting it dialed in."