Bo Nickal labels Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs a "freaking fraud" after online war of words
Bo Nickal is set to make his return to the octagon at UFC 300 next month when he opens the main card against Cody Brundage. The middleweight prospect recently called out Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist Jordan Burroughs for his commentary during Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Carter Starocci's match in the NCAA wrestling championships.
Speaking on the StaleMates Show, Nickal stated:
"It's not his moment so why take a guy's fourth national title and one of the biggest moments in his career and make it about yourself? To me, it just shows his character. The thing that bothers me is that nobody sees this. He always tries to act like an ambassador of the sport and, 'Oh, congratulations to Penn State, I'm so proud of you guys and what you're doing.' Bro, you're a freaking fraud."
Nickal continued:
"You just want to make it about yourself so relax, don't come at our guys and don't act friendly to me when I see you. Because I guarantee you he'll try to see me and be like, 'What's up Bo, dap it up' and be cool. I'm like no, we're not cool. I don't really care to be cool with you so it is what it is."
Check out Bo Nickal's comments on Jordan Burroughs below:
Starocci caught wind of Nickal's comments, noting that he plans to end Burroughs' wrestling career at Olympic trials in a few weeks. The UFC star is a fellow Penn State alum, likely leading him to defend the four-time national champion.
What led to Bo Nickal's comments on Jordan Burroughs?
Bo Nickal's back-and-forth with Jordan Burroughs began as the former took exception with the latter's commentary during the NCAA wrestling championships. The Olympic gold medalist suggested that he would have targeted Penn State's Carter Starocci's perceived injured knee if he faced him in the tournament and suggested that he will do so, if given the opportunity, at Olympic trials next month.
Nickal took exception to the comments, tweeting:
"Really classy Jordan Burroughs as a commentator saying you’d target Starocci’s injury in competition. Sad that you think that way and even if you do you should keep that to yourself it’s unprofessional. For all your accomplishments I’d expect more."
Burroughs responded by suggesting that Nickal has no room for judgment:
"You punch guys in the face for a living. Shut up."
Nickal responded by claiming Burroughs should not be working commentary:
"You should stick to wrestling not commentating because you can’t stop talking about yourself."
Check out the back-and-forth between Bo Nickal and Jordan Burroughs below:
While the incident appeared to end with the back-and-forth, Nickal's latest comments suggest otherwise. Both college wrestling champions will have big opportunities in April, with Nickal competing at UFC 300 and Burroughs competing at the Olympic trials.