As an athlete, there’s always a question that hovers on your mind: “What’s next?” A new level to attain? A new goal to achieve? What about things when your career ends? While professionals seem to be burdened by these thoughts all too often, it seems like Bo Nickal has clear answers to the one job that he doesn’t want to take after his elaborate career in the UFC ends. And his decision might have to do something with David Taylor.

The MMA star was a successful freestyle wrestler during his days as an NLWC athlete. Bagging 3 NCAA gold medals under the guidance of the iconic coach Cael Sanderson, Bo Nickal went on to carry the momentum into the octagon as well. Sanderson was a highly coveted NCAA wrestler himself, going 159-0 as an Iowa State star, and has proved his worth over decades of coaching as well. The 2020 Olympic champ Taylor, on the other hand, is an alum of Nickal’s alma mater and is currently the HC of the OSU Cowboys. Naturally, considering the legacy that Bo carries with him, one would imagine him to do something similar in the future. But that’s off the table, says the man himself.

Bo Nickal clears the air about taking David Taylor as an example

The UFC middleweight celebrity recently took to X to reconnect with his roots. “Wrestling followers, hit me with q’s and I will respond to as many as I can!” he wrote in a post on February 18, and the fans didn’t lose much time before coming forward with their diverse asks. One such follower put forth their inquiry about the chances of seeing Bo as the coach of a wrestling program in the future. But the catch: the fan was curious if Bo would also decide on something like the “Magic Man”: ie, lending his skills to a program other than Penn State’s, the program where both Taylor and Nickal reached their full potential.

But the fans’ high hopes were squashed almost immediately. “I’d say very close to 0 chance I coach college wrestling at all,” answered Bo Nickal without beating around the bush. He even gave a cryptic explanation as to why he doesn’t see himself walking the same path as his former collegiate peer. “Too political,” Bo said, leaving the fans guessing.

During his time on the Lions roster, the current UFC star amassed a 90-3 (26-1 in Big 10 duals) overall record. Along with the three individual national titles, Nickal also won three B1G golds, cementing himself as an elite NCAA wrestler. In the UFC, he currently stands on a pristine 7-0 record, after defeating Paul Craig in UFC 309 last year. For understandable reasons, many fans hoped Bo’s incredible talent in combat sports would make him want to eventually return to the NCAA scene one day. But it seems like after seeing David’s situation, Bo knows better not to.

Taylor’s woes after settling into his new office

Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Taylor was projected as one of the biggest stars to carry the USA’s golden hopes to the European capital. The objective of defending his gold from the previous Games also prompted the 34-year-old to push himself to the limits. “I want to be the best, that’s the only mentality I know,” he said on social media, sharing his intense training regime. But all that fell flat on its face when Taylor was defeated by 4x NCAA champ Aaron Brooks at the Olympic Team Trials in June. But as they say, one door closes, another opens.

Soon, the NLWC alum was announced as the head coach of Oklahoma State, a news that sent ripples across the entire wrestling community. The folks over at Penn State particularly didn’t take it too well. Carter Starocci even went as far as to suggest it was the big paycheck that came with the job that got Taylor to say yes. In the eyes of many in his alma mater, David was suddenly the traitor.

“They can have whoever they want. Good luck David, second place is cool,” Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft said about how OSU employing one of their formers would affect the NLWC’s reign in the NCAA. Only recently, Taylor and Sanderson clashed again as the former suggested that the NCAA bring back the National Duals and Cael had his own thoughts about how to raise the bar in wrestling. With all that, it’s not difficult to comprehend why Bo Nickal is instead more interested in trading all the headaches for a peaceful life.

Do you feel he’s right? Tell us what you’d rather see the UFC do after he decides to leave his gloves in the middle of the iron ring in a comment!