When you think of Greco-Roman wrestling, Mijaín López is likely the first name that comes to mind. But lately, another name has stirred up the wrestling world: Bo Nickal. What happened? During a recent podcast, Nickal made the audacious claim that for wrestling to truly thrive in the future, Greco-Roman needs to be cut. “It doesn’t make sense,” he argued. His remarks sparked a firestorm of criticism, but now Pat Downey has entered the fray, offering his own perspective on the matter.

On the August 26 episode of Parry Punch, Downey shared his thoughts on how to improve the sport, inevitably bringing up the controversial comments made by Nickal. “Bo Nickal actually just came out on it with a clip on his podcast talking about how you can make wrestling more mainstream,” Downey noted. “He suggested, I don’t know how you feel, so let me know, take out Greco-Roman and then also take out the second bronze medal match for the Olympics and basically add three more weight classes.” He then asked whether these changes might help the sport grow.

Downey’s response was immediate and unambiguous: “No, I think that’s all ret***ed. I think to take wrestling away is dumb. I think we need to add more wrestling.” He didn’t mince words about his belief that eliminating any form of wrestling is counterproductive. On the idea of adding more weight classes, however, he was in agreement: “Yeah, definitely more weight, this whole non-Olympic vs Olympic weight is idiotic.”

Nickal’s main gripe? The restrictions in Greco-Roman wrestling, where attacking an opponent’s legs is off-limits. Downey offered a pointed rebuttal to this: “Well, I think Bo is also just American where we don’t train Greco and it’s not world-class Greco in this country.” The 2019 US Open National Champion suggested that in the United States, there isn’t a strong emphasis on Greco-Roman, making it difficult for American wrestlers to excel. He explained, “Our results consistently prove that you’re top 5, top 3, top 2 in the world every year [in freestyle].”

Downey attempted to rationalize Nickal’s stance, saying, “On the contrary, Greco is declining. So he’s both performance-based, ideology and he’s not entertainment-based because worldwide Greco is a completely different product.” With a wide smile, he encouraged viewers to compare International Greco-Roman with American National Wrestling. “A lot of my friends are Greco-Roman wrestlers,” he added, though he wouldn’t criticize Team USA.

Despite Nickal’s criticisms, Downey acknowledged that Greco-Roman wrestling holds significant international popularity. “For that reason, it’s a lot—it’s better, it’s a higher level product,” he said. Indeed, the recent Paris Olympics saw the legendary Mijaín López etch his name in history once more, capturing his fifth Olympic gold in the heaviest Greco-Roman weight class—130kg—by decisively defeating Chile’s Yasmani Acosta 6-0 on victory points.

So, does Nickal still stand by his opinion that Greco-Roman should be scrapped? Only time will tell how this debate shakes out, but one thing is certain: the wrestling world isn’t done talking about it.

Bo Nickal backtracks on his controversial take about Greco Roman wrestling

In a conversation with Betr, Bo Nickal famously said “Get rid of Greco, doesn’t even make sense. Can’t grab the legs? Alright. Stupid made-up rule for no reason.” While he strongly believed that it was unnecessary, he eventually was called about by Kamal Bey. “Not grabbing legs makes things dumb? The most popular style of wrestling internationally is Greco Roman🤷🏾‍♂️.” The 2023 Pan American gold medalist wasn’t too pleased with the Nittany Lion.

After finally making his Olympic debut in the Greco-Roman 77kg men’s category, the 3x Big Ten Conference champion didn’t take kindly to Bo Nickal’s sharp critique of his sport. He fired back with a pointed response: “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.” It was a surprising turn of events that led Nickal to reconsider his stance.

Taking a step back, Nickal acknowledged the wrestler’s talent and responded graciously: “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.” This exchange revealed a softer side to both athletes, with the Greco-Roman competitor even wishing Nickal luck in his future events. Despite the initial friction, it seems the two have managed to find common ground, at least for now, recognizing the beauty in each wrestling style.

Meanwhile, Pat Downey has also weighed in with a more measured approach. Though he doesn’t fully agree with Nickal’s views, he’s made an effort to understand where the UFC middleweight fighter is coming from. Downey, much like the others involved, is keeping an open mind, showing that the wrestling community can engage in spirited debates without losing respect for one another.

What do you think of this whole situation? Have these wrestling titans found a resolution, or is there more to come? Share your thoughts in the comments below!