The verbal conflict between Bo Nickal and Colby Covington persists. Following criticisms from Covington and Luke Rockhold at the RAF 05 press conference, Nickal expressed a strong desire to confront Covington, aiming to make him accountable for his comments.
Covington and Luke Rockhold had previously attacked Nickal’s record during the RAF 05 presser, with remarks such as, “You’re a bum. You got broken by a Dutch kickboxer,” and “You’ve done absolutely nothing in the sport of MMA. You quit before the knee hit you.”
Nickal asserts that the UFC extended an offer to Covington for a fight at the White House event, an opportunity Nickal claims Covington evaded. Covington later denied ever receiving such an offer for the UFC Freedom 250 card.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Covington stated:
“That’s 100% fake news, Ariel. We could call Hunter Campbell right now. He never offered me, Bo, for the White House. I said I’d fight any man. I’d fight Bo. We can go any weight class… They talked about maybe doing the fight later in the year. I’m like, no. I’m not entertaining this fight unless it’s at 170, because that’s my weight class. Why would I fight at middleweight against some nobody who’s never even been in a main event in his life? Some little privileged a**hole who acts like the world owes him everything when he hasn’t earned anything.”
Bo Nickal Responds, Calling Covington a ‘Liar’
Bo Nickal asserts he possesses evidence, specifically text message receipts, proving Colby Covington was indeed offered the fight. He conveyed this on X (formerly Twitter):
“Colby is a liar. There are text message receipts of him being offered the fight.”
Addressing Covington’s earlier assertion of walking around at 185–190 pounds and preferring a welterweight bout, Nickal further stated:
“I saw him weigh in at RAF with my own eyes at 198lbs. He will never fight me because he knows I’ll kill him.”
Covington’s last octagon appearance was in 2024, where he suffered a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley in Round 3 due to a doctor’s stoppage. He anticipates facing the victor of the upcoming UFC Winnipeg main event between Gilbert Burns and Mike Malott later this year.
Meanwhile, Nickal is scheduled to compete against Kyle Daukaus at the highly anticipated UFC Freedom 250 event.
