Bo Nickal didn’t need a microphone to hear the message. He was sitting front row, absorbing every word as Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold took turns unloading on him at the RAF 5 (Real American Freestyle) press conference. The digs weren’t subtle; they were personal.

When Nickal’s name came up, Covington pounced with, “Listen, it’s the type of bozos like this that just kill the sport of wrestling,” before claiming that the sport needs more “stars” who are “willing to be vocal and call their shots.”

Rockhold followed with his own brand of venom.

He questioned Nickal’s résumé outright: “You should be in the top-10 before you talk about a sport that built another sport,” Rockhold snapped before adding, “You’ve done absolutely nothing in the sport of MMA. You quit before the knee even hit you, Bo. Button it up. Button it up.”

Now, that’s a clear jab at his loss to Reinier De Ridder via a brutal second-round knockout (knee to the body) at UFC Fight Night in Des Moines in May 2025.

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Covington laughed, and Rockhold kept going with, “You’re a college bum, Bo. Shut up.”

It was theatrical. It was calculated, but how did Nickal fire back?

Shortly after the presser, the Penn State wrestling star responded on X: “I’d love to fight Colby, but I seriously doubt he would fight me. We weigh the same, so let’s do it at the White House @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 @ufc.”

The White House callout lands at a moment where combat sports and politics are colliding more than ever. With Dana White publicly aligned with high-profile political events and a UFC card headed to the White House lawn, Nickal wasn’t just calling for a fight. He was calling Covington’s bluff on the biggest possible stage. And that’s where this gets interesting.

Just a simple question wrapped in logistics: we weigh the same, the platform exists, so what’s the excuse? It also exposes the irony in ‘Chaos’s criticism. He accused Nickal of not being vocal enough, of not “calling his shots.” Then Bo Nickal did exactly that.

From a stylistic standpoint, it’s risky. Colby Covington’s strength has always been pace and volume wrestling mixed with attritional striking. However, Nickal’s base is different. His wrestling pedigree is heavier, more explosive, and with the veteran on a 2-fight losing streak and last stepping into the Octagon in 2024, it’s no surprise that many are raising an eyebrow at the callout.

Yet, there’s also another side to the picture. Nickal’s momentum came to a screeching halt with his first-ever professional loss to Reinier De Ridder, the same ammunition that was used against him in the press conference. But was it fair?

Mike Brown admits Bo Nickal’s rise was “too fast” leading up to his first loss in the UFC

Bo Nickal’s rise had been almost unreal up to that point. But in May, the momentum slammed into reality when Reinier de Ridder stopped him with a vicious body shot. First professional loss. First real adversity. And suddenly, the questions came flooding in. Was Nickal overrated? Had the UFC pushed him too far, too fast?

According to an MMA Fighting interview, his head coach, Mike Brown, shared, “He was moving a bit too fast, we all knew it. He knew it. I knew it. We all knew it. Management knew it.”

It’s hard not to see why. He was thrown in with a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder in just his eighth professional fight and only his fifth UFC appearance. That context matters. A lot.

So why do it? Because opportunity doesn’t come cheap, as Brown explained, “But he was also getting paid very well. You’re not going to get the big bucks if you’re fighting guys on the prelims. If you’re getting bigger paychecks, then they’re going to push you and not give you layups.”

Brown also pointed to the hidden silver lining. “Experience is so much in this sport. Experience is everything,” he said, adding that there was “a little bit of pressure off, surprisingly,” once ‘The Dutch Knight’ proved his level by beating Robert Whittaker afterward. If anything, that loss explains why his response to Covington wasn’t panic, but confidence.

The question now isn’t whether Bo Nickal belongs. It’s whether the men laughing at him are willing to meet him where the stakes are real.