Never one to miss a spotlight, Colby Covington is angling for the brightest one yet. After more than a year on the sidelines, which included a rough ending to his last UFC outing, he’s now openly negotiating for a slot on the promotion’s most ambitious stage yet: the White House card on June 14.

“Yeah, I’ve been negotiating with the UFC for the White House card,” Covington revealed during an interview on ‘Valuetainment’. “You know, that’s the one that I want. I told them, like, this is important to my legacy and important to my career. This would be the biggest fight I’ve ever had, is to fight on the South Lawn in front of the President would be the greatest honor of my career. So we’re in negotiations right now.”

The 37-year-old is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Tampa in December 2024, a doctor’s stoppage that stalled his momentum. Since then, he’s stayed visible by jumping into a Real American Freestyle wrestling match with Luke Rockhold in January this year. It’s clear that the UFC welterweight is still angling for visibility. And right now, there’s no bigger spotlight on the UFC calendar than the White House card. So, who does he want to fight?

Covington named Paddy Pimblett, pointing to the Brit’s struggles with brutal weight cuts and suggesting that a move up to welterweight could be on the cards for him. He claimed Pimblett walks around close to 200 pounds and argued that “he’s cutting a lot of weight to get to 155.” Covington even leaned into the health angle, saying Pimblett has been warned about the toll of staying at lightweight by his doctors.

The former interim champion also framed it as an American-versus-British showdown. He explained that he wants to avoid fighting a countryman on the anniversary. As recent reports indicate, the UFC is planning six to seven fights on the South Lawn, with a 3,000–4,000 capacity crowd, simulcast on CBS and Paramount+.

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Still, from a competitive standpoint, this isn’t about title contention. Covington hasn’t won a UFC fight since 2022, and the Buckley loss was his second loss in a row. He’s 1-3 in his last four. However, his cardio and wrestling-heavy style still tests people. But he’s no longer in the immediate welterweight title picture.

Paddy Pimblett, meanwhile, just lost to Justin Gaethje in an interim title clash. A jump to 170 might be a risk for him physically, but it also shields him from the 155-pound shark tank for one fight. For the UFC, that might be a sellable storyline, too.

In fact, UFC boss Dana White has already shut down the rumor of Covington vs. Conor McGregor, and official matchmaking meetings are underway. So this isn’t locked yet. But Colby Covington has done what he always does: plant the idea in public, wrap it in legacy talk, and dare the UFC to say no. However, there’s one more name that wants to take on ‘Chaos’ at the White House!

Bo Nickal calls out Colby Covington for the White House card to settle their feud

Meanwhile, Bo Nickal isn’t waiting for an invitation. The three-time NCAA champion broke from his usual professional decorum to call out Colby Covington directly, citing a past feud.

“It would be a great honor to be able to compete on that card,” Nickal told MMA Fighting. “Opponent-wise, I’m leaving it up to the UFC, but I think that the Colby matchup makes so much sense, especially considering the last RAF event, how everything went.”

Ahead of RAF 5, Covington and Luke Rockhold took shots at Nickal’s MMA resume and future. When Nickal pulled out of a proposed match after Yoel Romero missed weight by seven pounds, Covington kept the jabs coming. That public spat has clearly lingered with Nickal. And now he sees the White House card as the cleanest way to settle it.

But there’s one hurdle. Nickal isn’t convinced Covington would actually sign on. In the UFC middleweight’s view, this could be a lose-lose competitively, but a win for Covington’s brand. He framed it as ‘Chaos’ weighing whether it’s “worth it… to go get beat up in front of the whole world on the White House card,” balanced against the upside of being on the biggest stage and getting the attention he thrives on.

Paddy Pimblett jumping to 170 is a spectacle fight, but it’s also a gamble for a young name coming off a loss. Bo Nickal is the opposite problem: less star power with casuals, but a nightmare matchup stylistically for a 37-year-old grinder who hasn’t won since 2022. Now it’s on the promotion to decide whether Colby Covington fits the show they’re trying to put on June 14.