“Get rid of Greco, doesn’t even make sense.” – Bo Nickal has left an indelible mark in the wrestling world. However, the 3x Big Ten Conference champion has been making quite the stir lately. The UFC middle-weight fighter shared his honest take on how CJI judging still has a long way to go. When Pat Downey bested Luke Rockhold in an MMA fight, he praised his fellow wrestler while also stating this shows “how MMA should be organized.” Before the dust could settle from that conversation, he’s now found himself in a tough spot within the wrestling community itself.

After sharing his controversial take on wrestling’s future success, the Nittany Lion now seems to have taken a few steps back. What could have caused this turn-around? 2023 Pan American gold medalist, Kamal Bey called the 28-year-old out. “Not grabbing legs makes things dumb? The most popular style of wrestling internationally is Greco Roman🤷🏾‍♂️.” The 26-year-old made his Olympic debut in the Men’s Greco-Roman 77 kg at the French capital.

Bey continued, “Most Americans won’t even take time to learn the sport that’s why it’s uninteresting to most. Wish you’d come and take time to learn our sport @NoBickal then you’d appreciate how hard and how fun it can be. @_wrestlersgrind” However, he didn’t just stop there. “Call me old fashioned but I remember times when people appreciated hard work and the struggle to compete and complete your dreams.” The 21-year-old then pointed out how everyone has something to say.

Bey continued, “You’re not toeing the line! there are lanes, if you’re not brave enough to change them then stay in your lane and support your fellow Americans who are trying to do something bigger than themselves! 🤷🏾‍♂️” So, what was Bo Nickal’s response? “Honestly man I love watching you compete. If every Greco wrestler was like you my opinion would be different,” he stated on X. The 3x NCAA Division I champion continued, “I wrestled Greco at a high level as a kid and liked it a lot but I think it’s just not quite as exciting overall as freestyle.” One of Nickal’s issues with the style is that wrestler’s can’t grab their opponent’s legs.

The 2019 Big Ten Athlete of the Year further stated, “There are outliers such as yourself but overall I think there’s less action.” Bey’s prior responses could have been misunderstood as ire towards the former Nittany Lion. However, he signed off on a sweet note. Bey wished Bo luck for his upcoming fights – showcasing there’s no bad blood between the two.

Bo Nickal’s honest wrestling take lands him in hot water

The UFC middleweight fighter was asked by Betr what he thinks could help make wrestling a mainstream sport. WrestlersGrind shared his take on Instagram. Without mincing his words, Nickal suggested that Greco-Roman needs to go out. “Can’t grab the legs? Alright. Stupid made-up rule for no reason,” he stated. The 3x Big Ten Conference champion has previously contested in freestyle and folkstyle.

Bo Nickal pointed out one major issue with the sport. “Honestly, I’ll be fine to add three weights to men’s freestyle and three weights to women’s freestyle.” However, he does have a solution for it. “Take off the second bronze medal. Make everybody wrestle back for one bronze medal and we can make the brackets even smaller and now we have room for more weight classes.” He believes this will make the sport even more entertaining. Do you agree with him?