Bo Nickal had the chance to replace Khamzat Chimaev and face Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, he was unable to respond to the offer in time as he was in the mountains and out of reach. The UFC later confirmed Ikram Aliskerov as the new opponent for Whittaker. Despite the opportunity and talks of a higher pay, Nickal couldn’t negotiate as the UFC had already finalized the fight with Aliskerov. He mentioned that the long distance to Saudi Arabia was a factor in his decision not to take the fight.
Nickal believes that Aliskerov has a good chance of defeating Whittaker, pointing to his past performances in the octagon. He also suggested that Chimaev’s image has suffered due to his low activity and recent fight withdrawals, hinting that it could be linked to excessive partying rather than overtraining.
