Colby Covington and Luke Rockhold face each other at RAF 5, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have time for a little teamwork.
In this instance, the former UFC titleholders took aim at middleweight contender Bo Nickal at a pre-fight press conference for Saturday’s wrestling event in Sunrise, Fla. Nickal also competes on the card, taking on Yoel Romero in the co-main event, and he made his presence known while Covington and Rockhold were on stage Thursday.
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His involvement was not appreciated.
“Listen, it’s the type of bozos like this that just kill the sport of wrestling,” Covington said. “We need stars. We need people that are willing to be vocal and call their shots.”
When Nickal offered to challenge Covington, the longtime welterweight veteran shut him down, referencing Nickal’s loss to Reinier de Ridder, the first blemish of his young pro MMA career.
“No, that’d be too easy, bro, you’re a bum,” Covington said. “You got broken by a Dutch kickboxer. You’re a bum, dude. You’re not even the main event, there’s a reason.”
Nickal bounced back with a head kick knockout of Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 322 to improve to 8-1 as a pro, but it’s his pre-MMA accolades that earned him a spot on the RAF roster. In his storied career at Penn State, Nickal won three national titles before transitioning to a different combat sport.
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Following Covington’s lead, Rockhold joined in, warning Nickal not to disrespect two fighters who have been competing in the octagon far longer than he has.
“You should make the top 10 before you start talking about a sport that built another sport,” Rockhold said. “The reason why wrestling is here on this stage is because of MMA. You’ve done absolutely nothing in the sport of MMA. You quit. You quit before the knee even hit you, Bo. So just button it up.”
Rockhold then suggested he and Nickal meet in a modified rules matchup and threatened Nickal, telling him, “I will put you to sleep.”
“How many world championships have I won?” Rockhold said. “What have you even done on a world stage? Absolutely nothing. You’re a college bum. Shut up.”
