Colby Covington Dismisses Bo Nickal as RAF Opponent, Questions Draw Power
Colby Covington shut down the idea of an immediate Real American Freestyle clash with Bo Nickal, arguing the UFC middleweight lacks the résumé and marketability to headline opposite the new crossover champion.
Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show shortly after capturing the inaugural RAF Cruiserweight Crossover title, Covington responded to Helwani’s suggestion that the matchup would rank among the promotion’s biggest possible attractions. He wasted little time outlining his objections.
“I mean, dude, Boneknuckles never been a main event,” Covington said. “He’s not a, he’s not a draw, Ariel.”
Covington continued by questioning Nickal’s level of competition inside the Octagon. “Like, he hasn’t fought anybody in the UFC that’s even ranked yet. They’re giving him easy matchups against nobodies. They brought a guy off the regional scene so he could get a win on the White House lawn. I mean, the guy’s irrelevant.”
Nickal, a three-time NCAA wrestling champion, improved to 9-1 with a first-round TKO of Kyle Daukaus on June 14 at UFC Freedom 250, staged on the White House South Lawn. The finish moved him into the UFC middleweight rankings for the first time.
Covington remained unimpressed with that achievement relative to his own standards. “He doesn’t sell tickets, he hasn’t beat any world beaters, he’s not a ranked guy, he hasn’t beat anybody ranked, he’s never main evented, he’s never pay-per-view, never.”
The former UFC title challenger acknowledged Nickal’s domestic success before drawing a clear distinction. “Well, dude, he, yeah, he did his thing, and, you know, on, on a, in, in, in a national scene, he’s never done anything on the world scene, you know, like myself, you know, he’s never, you know, competed against the world’s best and won world titles and this and that, but, you know, we’re not the same weight class.”
Covington left a narrow opening contingent on weight. “If he wants to come down to one seventy-five, one seventy, yeah, we could do it for sure.”
He framed any potential bout strictly as a business decision. “I’ll, I’ll end Business dance partner, I need— This is a business, Arrow, you know that more than anybody. It’s about selling tickets, it’s about putting butts in seats and entertaining.”
Covington claimed the RAF title with a 5-3 decision over Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of RAF 11 on July 18 in Milwaukee. The victory extended his undefeated start in the promotion following earlier wins over Luke Rockhold, Dillon Danis, and Chris Weidman. He has shifted primary focus to RAF after informing the UFC of his retirement plans earlier in 2026, though he has not closed the door on mixed martial arts entirely.
Nickal continues to develop at 185 pounds inside the UFC. His recent ranking entry and high-profile finish at the White House event have raised his profile, yet Covington’s comments underscore the gap in perceived drawing power and championship pedigree that the RAF champion sees between them.
Any future negotiation would require Nickal to drop significant weight, according to Covington. Until then the new titleholder intends to dictate his own matchmaking based on commercial value and competitive standards he has already set inside the freestyle wrestling promotion.
