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Bo Nickal has dismissed Colby Covington’s claims about a supposed fight offer between them at the White House, calling them completely untrue.
Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) and Nickal (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) have recently exchanged words, fueling tension through their appearances at Real American Freestyle events and across social media. Nickal is currently scheduled to face Kyle Daukaus at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn—a matchup he says materialized after Covington declined the opportunity. According to Nickal, he even extended the offer to Covington again after the announcement, as Daukaus had yet to sign the contract.
"That's 100 percent fake news, Ariel," Covington said Wednesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "We could call Hunter Campbell right now. I'll put him on the phone 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.
"I asked him, if I fight Bo, is this gonna be on the White House? 'No, no, we only got limited spots.' These are Hunter’s exact words. I said, 'OK, well, if you only have limited spots, and I can't fight Bo at the White House, I'm fighting at my normal weight class. I'm gonna fight at 170, because I only walk around at 185, 190. Why would I fight at middleweight against some nobody who's never been in a main event in his life? ... No, the fight was never offered at the White House."
Covington, who competes at welterweight, would need to move up to middleweight to face Nickal. According to the former interim 170-pound champion, it doesn’t make sense for him to take on Nickal as the smaller fighter, especially when, in his view, Nickal hasn’t yet earned that kind of opportunity.
Nickal responded to Covington’s remarks on social media, strongly denying his version of events.
"Colby is a liar," Nickal wrote on X. "1. There are text message receipts of him being offered the fight. 2. I saw him weigh in at RAF with my own eyes at 198 lbs.
"He will never fight me because he knows I'll kill him."
Covington last competed in December 2024, suffering a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley. He is currently on a two-fight losing streak, with his most recent win being a unanimous decision over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272 in March 2022.
Meanwhile, Nickal has remained active while climbing the ranks. After suffering the first loss of his career to Reinier de Ridder last May, he bounced back with a stoppage victory over Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322 in November.
