Colby Covington unleashed a blistering tirade against UFC middleweight Bo Nickal, adamantly refuting Nickal’s recent claim that Covington turned down a fight with him for a potential UFC event at the White House. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Nickal had suggested Covington avoided the matchup. However, “Chaos” not only denied the allegation but also launched into a severe verbal assault on the wrestling standout.
Covington questioned the very premise of Nickal’s claim, asserting, “Hunter [Campbell] and the UFC never entertained, or offered that fight.” He further challenged the logic of the UFC presenting him with a bout against an unranked opponent in a higher weight class. Covington then turned his focus directly to Nickal, disparaging him as “Bozo Nickals” and a “quitter,” referencing his submission loss to Reinier de Ridder. “We saw what happened when it was a fight against RDR… as soon as the fight started getting going, that’s when he quit. He’s a quitter,” Covington declared. He insisted he would have “loved to take that fight at the White House” as it would have been an “easy fight,” given his belief that Nickal “can’t strike” and “can’t wrestle and hold me down.” Covington concluded this segment with a crude insult, stating Nickal “sucks worse than [Jerry] Sandusky.”
Covington suggested that Nickal might have been misinformed, attributing it to Nickal’s reliance on his management rather than direct communication with high-ranking UFC officials. “Bo doesn’t represent himself, so he’s just out of the loop… I deal directly with the UFC,” Covington explained, highlighting his own frequent interactions with Hunter Campbell. He then intensified his attack on Nickal’s character and standing, labeling him “an absolute nobody.” Covington claimed, “the fans hate him. I hate him. Penn State hates him. Nobody likes him.”
He criticized Nickal’s perceived entitlement and lack of accomplishments, pointing out Nickal’s multiple withdrawals from scheduled bouts against Yoel Romero and even wrestling matches. “He’s not a company man. He’s scared to fight, scared to wrestle even… He’s not reliable, and he’s not ranked,” Covington asserted, before summarily dismissing him: “He’s a Bozo. He’s a nobody. He’s not worth my time.” Covington reiterated his denial of the fight offer and repeated his offensive comparison, stating, “He’s a Bozo, and he sucks worse than Sandusky.”
