Bo Nickal fired back at Colby Covington after the former interim UFC welterweight champion dismissed his wrestling credentials. Nickal also proposed that they settle their issues inside the octagon at the UFC’s White House event.
The animosity stems from last week’s RAF 5 press conference, which saw Covington bash Nickal. Covington, who faced Luke Rockhold in the main event, had a back-and-forth with Nickal, who was seated off the stage. ‘Chaos’ brought up the former NCAA champion’s loss to Reinier de Ridder, with Rockhold also joining in.
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nickal sounded off on Covington for his remarks. He also felt that ‘Chaos’ disrespected the wrestling community and RAF wrestlers for taking credit for the event’s success.
Nickal, a former three-time NCAA Division I national champion, expressed doubts about Covington agreeing to an RAF wrestling match. Instead, he challenged him to back up his comments and meet him in the octagon.
“I think we do it in the UFC in June and I can absolutely rip that guy apart, send him packing, and end his career. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to doing cause I don’t think that he would ever in a million years wrestle me,” Nickal said. “As far as fighting, the UFC, I think, isn’t super happy with him, so there’s a chance they’ll just make him fight me.”
Bo Nickal Doubles Down on Colby Covington Callout
Bo Nickal doubled down on his callout of Colby Covington by taking aim at his record and wrestling background.
Speaking with Ariel Helwani, Nickal brought up Covington’s remarks about moving up to middleweight. He recalled ‘Chaos’ reaction after being asked about fighting him at middleweight.
The former NCAA champion insinuated that Covington is afraid to fight him.
“[Covington] said that he was coming up to middleweight. And so all the wrestling people there asked him, ‘Why don’t you fight Bo?’ And he was like, ‘He’s not on my level,'” Nickal said. “Alright, bro, I’m not on your level, I’m an easy check, so let’s get in there and I’ll embarrass you in front of the entire world.”
Nickal also revealed that he plans to make a direct request to President Donald Trump. The former NCAA champion is eager to put the wheels in motion to ensure he gets his wish.
“I’m definitely going to hit [Trump] up and tell him to make [the fight] happen. Because, I think [Covington] is a fake. He’s a phony,” Nickal said. “This guy’s a fraud, he’s a JUCO bum, he couldn’t hack it in wrestling. He was fortunate to get into MMA at a time where a lot of people didn’t have the wrestling skills to stand up to him.”
Nickal Predicts Dominant Win Over Covington
Although Covington has more experience in MMA, Nickal is confident that he would secure a dominant win.
Nickal competes in the UFC‘s middleweight division, while Covington competes at welterweight. Because of that, ‘Chaos’ would need to move up to 185 pounds for the fight to become a reality.
Even with Covington’s win over Rockhold in their RAF wrestling match, Nickal remains unimpressed.
“Other than beating Luke [Rockhold] the other night, he hasn’t won anything in seven years. So I think the guy sucks and I would love to end his career,” Nickal told The Ariel Helwani Show. “I don’t think he gets out of the 1st round with me.”
Bo Nickal Blasts Colby Covington, Wants UFC Clash on White House Card