"Guy hasn’t earned his stripes yet" - Darren Till calls Bo Nickal’s main-card push 'unearned' compared to veterans

Darren Till recently questioned the Bo Nickal vs. Rodolfo Vieira fight being placed higher than the Leon Edwards vs. Carlos Prates clash on the UFC 322 main card and claimed the American wrestling savant hadn't "earned his stripes" yet.

Nickal is among the most exciting prospects in the UFC's middleweight division and is known for his impressive wrestling pedigree. However, the 29-year-old's shine took a hit after he got knocked out by Reinier de Ridder in the second round of their fight at UFC Des Moines in May. This marked the American fighter's first career loss, with his professional record now standing at 7-1.

In a recent X post, Till questioned why Nickal's return to action against Vieira was scheduled above the Edwards-Prates fight on the UFC 322 main card, given the Englishman's status as a former champion. He wrote:

"How is Bo Nickal getting further up on the main card slots than the likes of Leon Edwards and that? Make it make sense. Guy hasn’t earned his stripes yet."

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Bo Nickal hints at potential UFC White House feature after call with POTUS Donald Trump

Bo Nickal recently dropped a major hint about him potentially competing on the UFC White House card next year. The card will go down in June as part of the America250 celebrations, with the octagon being placed on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani (via @jedigoodman on X), Nickal revealed that he spoke to POTUS Donald Trump about him potentially competing on that card and said:

"I’m planning on being on that card. That’s history. That’s exciting. That’s something I feel like I would be ecstatic and grateful to be a part of. I’ve got to take care of business. I’ve talked with President Trump; he wants me on the card. I’m sure that if things line up, we’ll make it happen."

He continued:

"I was on Fox promoting the RAF [Real American Freestyle] event. He obviously watches that. I was on Fox and Friends. He called me up and sent me some encouragement. We talked about the card for a second. I told him that I want to get on it, and he said, ‘Done deal.’ Him and Dana [White] are obviously very close. If he puts a good word on my behalf, then it’s probably putting me in a good position."

Edited by Nishant Zende.