Bo Nickal, after losing his first professional fight last weekend, has become a prime target for critics in the MMA community. His defeat was pretty lopsided and ended in the early minutes of the second round, as Reinier De Ridder proved that he means business in the UFC. Meanwhile, one of Nickal’s critics is a former UFC title challenger with whom he’s had verbal spats in the past, and it seems like that fighter had the last laugh, but his comments weren’t entirely negative.
Back in 2022, Darren Till issued a challenge to Nickal, who, at that time, called out Till’s training partner, Khamzat Chimaev, but got snubbed. The Liverpudlian was hoping to get his hands on the most decorated amateur wrestler to ever sign with the UFC, claiming that he wanted to “drive the left hand through his skull.” That comment saw Nickal fire back and even issue a warning to ‘The Gorilla’.
“I don’t know why you would say something like that, knowing what I could do to you.” That’s what Nickal had to say to Darren Till in response. Well, the Liverpudlian finally got his chance to give the 29-year-old a receipt in his message to Nickal after his loss. While Till still sees Nickal becoming a champion in the future, he clapped back at the prospect’s comments, reminding him about how fighters can easily fall off when they are at the top of the food chain in MMA.
“Unlucky for the weekend, Bo Nickal. It’s hard at the top in MMA, but I fully believe you can still be champion. You’ll grow from this. Just wanted to say as I am givging you praise I also wanted to say about when you talked mad crap about me how you would easily beat me,” Darren Till wrote on X. “Maybe now you know what it’s like being at the top as I have been to the top in MMA had my losses and also had my wins.”
Till suggests a change in attitude is in order for Bo Nickal, claiming that he needs to show respect to fellow MMA fighters. But he ended his message on a good note, hoping to see the 29-year-old bounce back from his loss at UFC Des Moines. “I hope you learn to never look down on people again, especially in MMA, cos this isn’t wrestling, this is elite-level MMA. Go back to the drawing board and can’t wait to see how good you come back, champ. All the best.”
Unlucky for the weekend Bo Nickal.
It’s hard at the top in MMA but I fully believe you can still be champion.
You’ll grow from this.
Just wanted to say as I am givging you praise I also wanted to say about when you talked mad crap about me how you would easily beat me.
Maybe now…
— DT (@darrentill2) May 5, 2025
Well, that wasn’t too bad from Darren Till as he shared some kind words for Nickal along with the reminder he gave him. After all, the Liverpudlian was himself pushed prematurely into a welterweight title fight with Tyron Woodley. He was shut off by the champion and wasn’t able to capture the same momentum ever again.
Meanwhile, another former UFC fighter has shared his take on the middleweight prospect, but it’s not something that the former 3-time NCAA Division I champion would like to hear.
Ex-UFC fighter suggests Dana White should cut Bo Nickal from the UFC
Former welterweight fighter Josh Thomson appears to be more critical of the way Bo Nickal lost his fight. After getting dominated by Reinier De Ridder, the UFC alum believes there are a lot of holes in the 29-year-old’s game, and that needs to be fixed. How? Well, he simply wants Dana White to take the same route for Nickal as he did for Youssef Zalal and Mason Jones.
For context, Youssef Zalal and Mason Jones were both released from the UFC in 2022 after lackluster initial runs in the promotion. However, they’d go on to develop further in the regional circuit, and when they got better, the UFC re-signed both fighters, Zalal in 2024 and Jones in 2025. Similarly, Thomson believes that White should also consider this move for Bo Nickal after his loss last weekend.
“The way he lost… the UFC, I’m really telling him, like, you know what? You need to spend probably a good eight months, and you need to go, you need to tighten up everything,” Josh Thomson stated on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast. “[The UFC should be like] We’re gonna almost do like what we did with Mason Jones or what we did with Youssef Zalal, and we’re gonna send you off a little bit. We’ll give you eight months or whatever.”
Well, Bo Nickal has just one professional loss, and it’s unlikely that Dana White would cut him off so easily. However, it remains to be seen if he can bounce back the next time he steps inside the Octagon. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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