The UFC may be taking a trip to the White House in 2026, and if one insider is to be believed, the card could be absolute dynamite. Imagine Khamzat Chimaev, the undefeated UFC Middleweight Champion, facing Bo Nickal, the American wrestling prodigy once dubbed the ‘future of the division.’ It’s not official, not yet, but whispers inside the fight world are growing louder by the day.

‘Borz’s destruction of Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 and his win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 cemented his place as one of the most dangerous champions in the promotion. Meanwhile, Bo Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion, has been grinding his way back from a brutal loss to Reinier de Ridder earlier this year, aiming to prove he’s still elite. With Nickal scheduled to fight Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322, it seems the American’s next chapter may already be written. But could that chapter lead straight to Khamzat Chimaev next year?

Chael Sonnen claims Khamzat Chimaev vs Bo Nickal is a “potential” matchup for the White House event

Speaking on a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen revealed what might be one of the promotion’s biggest future plans as he laid out his conversation with veteran journalist, Ariel Helwani. According to ‘The Bad Guy’, ”And Ariel said to me, “what do you think they’re going to do?”, and I go, well, you know what the bigger fights are? What the biggest fight is that that they’re working on, what they are currently working, there’s changes, right?”

While Sonnen admitted that the plans and conversations change “week to week”, he shared, “But the answer to the question for right now, and what I told Ariel is, Islam Makhahchev versus Ilia Topuria. That is the fight that is tentatively penciled in.”

Then, with a pause, he dropped another bombshell as he continued in the YouTube video, “Now, Chimaev and Bo Nickal by the way, you tell me what you want about that right now, I’m telling you by ‘THAT’ time is a potential.“ If true, the UFC could be lining up two blockbuster fights for the same event. The insider didn’t name a date, but the mention of “by that time” points to a massive stage, one involving the White House Card, a 2026 spectacle that UFC boss Dana White has been dropping breadcrumbs about for months!

So, could the wrestling savant from Penn State finally collide with Khamzat Chimaev on one of the sport’s grandest stages? After all, it’s been a rollercoaster year for Bo Nickal. Once touted as a future champion, his shocking knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC on ESPN 67 has cast doubts on his readiness for the elite.

In fact, during a recent interview, Nickal even clarified his now-infamous “ragdoll” comment about Chimaev as he stated, “All the stuff I said about ragdolling him — that was about wrestling, not an MMA fight. In a straight-up freestyle or collegiate match, it’s not competitive. I’m a three-time national champ, a world champion — I’ve beaten the best in the world. But in MMA, that’s a war. That’s a scrap. I’ve got to win fights first, but one day that matchup would be incredible.”

If the “potential” laid out by Chael Sonnen becomes reality, Dana White might just give fans a double treat: Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria and Khamzat Chimaev vs. Bo Nickal on the same night. However, according to a former champion, there’s one other name that has the potential to end ‘Borz’s reign of dominance inside the Octagon, and it’s not Bo Nickal!

Luke Rockhold points to Sean Strickland as the “toughest test” for ‘Borz’

Former middleweight king Luke Rockhold believes that the one fighter who could survive Chimaev’s relentless wrestling storm is none other than Sean Strickland. Bold claim, right? But Rockhold didn’t say it lightly. Speaking on the JAXXON Podcast, he explained, “I hate to say it: Strickland should win a fight, but he’s probably the toughest test for him, He’s annoyingly hard to hold down. He’s not that good on the ground, but he can get up, and that’s the biggest thing with Khamzat: You cannot stay (on the ground). Khamzat has got to get comfortable on the feet. If he can’t keep a guy down, it could be tough.”

It’s a rare kind of praise coming from Rockhold, especially considering the chaos Chimaev unleashed in his title-winning performance against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. In that fight, the Chechen powerhouse landed 12 takedowns and controlled the South African for over 21 minutes, a masterclass in dominance. Sean Strickland, for his part, isn’t backing down from the idea either.

Having trained with Khamzat Chimaev at Xtreme Couture in the past, he knows firsthand what the undefeated champion brings. Recently, Strickland told MMA Junkie that he’s confident he’s the only one who can dethrone him, and he’s already plotting his route to the title by targeting Anthony Hernandez first.

As such, Rockhold hinted that their past sparring sessions might already be fueling a psychological battle as he further shared, “That plays a role in both their heads. He’s talking like he knows he can do something, so we’ll see.”

So, whether it’s Bo Nickal’s wrestling or Sean Strickland’s grit, one truth stands firm, Khamzat Chimaev’s path ahead is filled with danger, with all crosshairs being aimed firmly at him. The question now isn’t just who will face him next, but who can finally drag the wolf into deep waters. Could 2026 be the year someone does the unthinkable and ends his undefeated streak? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!