Colby Covington Criticizes 'Piss Poor' UFC White House Card; Bo Nickal Claims He Refused Fight

Colby Covington has voiced significant disappointment regarding the upcoming UFC Freedom 250 event.

A staunch supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Covington had expressed a keen interest in competing at the White House card, even indicating a willingness to face opponents such as Paddy Pimblett or Bo Nickal. However, the UFC ultimately did not include him in the June 14 lineup.

Following the promotion's recent announcement of the UFC Freedom 250 bouts, many within the mixed martial arts community, including Covington himself, have criticized the quality of the planned matchups. "Chaos" is not only unhappy about his exclusion but has also strongly condemned the proposed fights for the event set to take place on the South Lawn of the White House.

In a recent interview, Covington labeled the White House card as "terrible and disorganized," suggesting a perceived lack of care from the promotion. He remarked:

“It’s exceptionally poor, at best. The fans have clearly expressed their dissatisfaction; they hate it. It’s a dreadful card. They initially promised six or seven title fights, and now we see only one championship bout along with an interim title fight that appears to have been hastily arranged. The entire event feels disorganized and put together last minute, lacking any major high-ranking American fighters. Who are the individuals truly representing America on the nation's 250th birthday? It seems as though they've grown complacent since securing their deal with Paramount, and that's just the reality of it.”

During the same discussion, Covington mentioned that UFC executive Hunter Campbell had indicated that his next fight would likely be against the winner of the Mike Malott vs. Gilbert Burns bout.

Bo Nickal Alleges Colby Covington Declined Opportunity to Fight Him at White House

UFC middleweight Bo Nickal had expressed his desire to face Colby Covington at the White House, aiming to address remarks Covington had made about him previously. Nickal is now scheduled to compete on the UFC Freedom 250 card against Kyle Daukaus (17-4).

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Nickal claimed that UFC matchmakers had indeed reached out to Covington with an offer to fight him at the White House, but "Chaos" reportedly declined. Nickal stated:

“The [UFC] explicitly told him, ‘If you want to be on this card, you have to fight Bo,’ and he said no. He would rather behave like a coward and avoid fighting me than participate in the White House card, which is undeniably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Everyone understands it would essentially be akin to leading a lamb to slaughter… In one sense, I can understand his decision, because you would literally be stepping in there just to be defeated.”