The war of words over a missed White House opportunity just went nuclear, with Bo Nickal putting Colby Covington on blast for his version of events. The disagreement erupted when ‘Chaos’ claimed the company only discussed the matchup briefly and never gave him a fair chance to face Nickal at the historic June event. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Covington stated that he was willing to fight anyone, but the Bo Nickal fight was not part of the White House plan.

“We can call Hunter Campbell right now,” Covington said. “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 going to be on the White House?’ (Hunter said) ‘No, no, we only got limited spots.’ This is the exact words from Hunter.”

He further added that if not on the White House card, he isn’t willing to face Bo Nickal outside the welterweight division. After all, since the fiery back-and-forth at the Real American Freestyle press conference, Nickal has repeatedly called out Covington to fight him at 185 lbs.

“If you only have limited spots and I can’t fight Bo on the White House, I’m fighting at my normal weight class, Ariel,” he added. “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 even been in the main event in his life, who’s a little privileged f—— a—— who just acts like the world owes him everything when he hasn’t earned anything?”

However, Bo Nickal responded quickly and completely rejected Colby Covington’s version of the story.

“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.”

It’s worth noting that Bo Nickal’s claims may have some truth behind it. While the claims about text messages cannot be verified, ‘Chaos’ did compete beyond his usual welterweight limit in Real American Freestyle earlier this year. On January 10, 2026, at RAF 05, he faced and defeated Luke Rockhold in the promotion’s cruiserweight division, weighing around 190 pounds.

So, his argument about not wanting to fight at middleweight might sound less convincing to some fans. With both fighters missing the White House card, the back-and-forth has only added more tension to a matchup that many expected to happen.

Whether the UFC decides to book it later or not, Bo Nickal and Colby Covington’s public rivalry is unlikely to end anytime soon. But what we are sure will end is the 38-year-old’s all political character after years of controversy.

Colby Covington insists on calling time on politics

Colby Covington is dealing with more than just his feud with Bo Nickal. As previously stated, the veteran has been dealing with frustration outside the cage, particularly after missing out on the White House card, and this setback seems to have influenced his decision to step away from politics after years of building his image around it.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow, Colby Covington admitted that after President Donald Trump‘s current term ends, he intends to stop being involved in political campaigning altogether.

“I love Trump; he’s a great guy, but I’m not really political,” Covington said. “In the future, you won’t see me campaigning or actively involved in politics.

“I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. It’s a dirty game, and loyalty is never rewarded.”

He also revealed that his goals have changed completely compared to a few years ago, when he freely spoke about seeking a career in government. Now, the 38-year-old says he’d rather focus on business and fighting than staying in the political spotlight.

“My dream before was to be the governor of Florida,” he added. “A senator, a congressman… Now, it’s like, ‘Nah… I just want to do business with Real American Beer, be in RAF Wrestling, and mind my own business in peace.”

With his fighting future uncertain, Colby Covington finally seems to be more focused on stability than controversy, suggesting that the character fans have seen for years may slowly start to fade away.