Bo Nickal, the former UFC star and NCAA Division I champion, suffered a lopsided loss to Reinier De Ridder at UFC Des Moines last weekend.

The defeat has sparked a heated debate in the MMA community, with some critics questioning whether Nickal is still on track to become a UFC champion.

Despite his loss, Darren Till, a former UFC title challenger and Nickal’s rival, believes that the 29-year-old has the potential to become a champion in the future. However, Till also urged Nickal to show more respect to his fellow fighters, stating that “this isn’t wrestling, this is elite-level MMA.”

Till’s comments were not entirely negative, as he also expressed his hope that Nickal would learn from his loss and come back stronger. “I hope you learn to never look down on people again, especially in MMA,” Till wrote on X. “Go back to the drawing board and can’t wait to see how good you come back, champ.”

However, not everyone is as optimistic about Nickal’s future in the UFC. Former welterweight fighter Josh Thomson believes that the promotion should consider cutting Nickal from the roster, at least temporarily, to give him time to develop his skills.

Thomson suggested that the UFC could follow the same path it took with Youssef Zalal and Mason Jones, who were both released from the promotion in 2022 but went on to develop further in the regional circuit.

“I’m really telling him, like, you know what? You need to spend probably a good eight months, and you need to tighten up everything,” Thomson stated on the ‘Weighing In’ podcast.

“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.”

It remains to be seen whether Nickal will be able to bounce back from his loss and continue his journey to becoming a UFC champion.