Colby Covington says Bo Nickal lost 'mystique,' changes tune on potential RAF match

Bo Nickal's stock in the wrestling world took a big hit, at least according to Colby Covington.

Nickal, a Penn State wrestling standout turned UFC fighter, suffered his first defeat in wrestling since 2020, losing by points to 2026 NCAA champion Max McEnelly this past Saturday at RAF 12. Covington, who's had a long-standing feud with Nickal, didn't hesitate to take a shot at him.

"He talked a big game, but look what happens every time he's on the world stage – he comes up short," Covington told Submission Radio. "My reaction is it's pretty hilarious. He talks a big game, but he can't go out there and get the job done. He's a bozo. He's not a star. No one cares about him. You've got a lot of people talking the talk, but they can't walk the walk. He quit to a Dutch grappler – a Dutch grappler. A Dutch grappler doesn't even know how to strike, and you quit to that guy? You're not a world beater. You're not everything you tell the world to be. You're a fraud. You're irrelevant to the business world."

Due to their feud, Covington vs. Nickal has become a matchup many would like to see on the RAF mat. However, Covington is not keen on facing Nickal. He believes fans are no longer interested in the matchup due to Nickal's recent loss.

"There's no appeal to it, you know? He's not undefeated," Covington said. "The mystique, the scary guy that they tried to build up to be this killer, you know, it's not there anymore. He was defeated. He got beaten, and he's a bigger guy. He weighs way more than me. He weighed in at 200 pounds. We're not the same weight class. I'm around the 180-pound division, not the 200-pound division. So we're not the same weight. He's an irrelevant bum.

"He doesn't know how to do show business. He's a clown. He's acting all privileged, like he deserves everything, 'Oh, I come from this. I deserve this,' and he doesn't want to earn it. So, you know, there's no freebies up on the top when you're a loser like him."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Colby Covington says Bo Nickal lost 'mystique,' changes tune on potential RAF match