Overview
- Nickal lost a close 3-2 decision to Max McEnelly at RAF 12, handing him his first freestyle wrestling loss since 2020.
- Nickal said he was “disappointed in the result and my efforts” and is already booked to return to the mat on Sept. 5 in Moscow against Olympic champion Shirvani Muradov.
- Nickal has publicly said he prefers to settle a fight with Khamzat Chimaev inside the UFC before or in addition to a RAF wrestling match, comments he made in an interview published Aug. 21.
- Chimaev, who lost the UFC middleweight title to Sean Strickland earlier this year, is set to headline RAF Moscow against Tyron Woodley, keeping both fighters on the same promotional stage.
- The upset raises questions about Nickal’s dual-track path in MMA and wrestling, boosts McEnelly’s profile as a new RAF contender, and could prompt rematch talk or a reshuffle of match timing by promoters.