Khamzat Chimaev open to RAF match with Bo Nickal, passes on Kyle Snyder
Khamzat Chimaev says he would welcome a RAF grappling match against Bo Nickal but wants no part of Olympic champion Kyle Snyder.
The UFC middleweight champion, who defends his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 this weekend, recently signed with RAF and confirmed his preference for facing fighters from an MMA background rather than pure wrestlers. “I could grapple with Bo Nickal,” Chimaev told Adam Zubayraev on YouTube, per MMA Fighting. “He switched to MMA, too, he’s an MMA fighter now. It’s interesting to compete with fighters who are in MMA. But how does it make sense to wrestle an Olympic champion?”
Why Chimaev won’t face Snyder in RAF
Chimaev pointed out the obvious differences between grappling for MMA and competing in Olympic wrestling. “If I wanted to wrestle Snyder or Abdulrashid Sadulaev, I would’ve gone to the Olympics,” he said, according to MMA Mania. The Chechen fighter admitted he hasn’t drilled basic wrestling entries in years, noting his last serious double-leg work came during sparring sessions with Arman Tsarukyan nearly eight years ago.
Snyder, who called out Chimaev after the RAF signing announcement, acknowledged the disadvantage would go both ways. “If it was just one round, I don’t have any boxing or jiu-jitsu experience,” Snyder told MMA Fighting. “I’d probably get pieced up in that way.” Still, the three-time world champion hasn’t given up hope of eventually facing Chimaev on the mats, suggesting the UFC champion should take some RAF matches first before they meet.
Chimaev fights Strickland on Saturday while Snyder prepares for RAF 9 and the World Championships later this year.
Photo: Noah Riffe / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Original reporting:
- mmafighting.com — Khamzat Chimaev declines Olympic champion Kyle Snyder’s challenge; Snyder still hopes to face him in RAF | MMA Fighting
- mmamania.com — Khamzat Chimaev open to wrestle Bo Nickal for RAF, not Kyle Snyder: ‘How can I wrestle an Olympic champion?’ | MMA Mania