Bo Nickal REVEALS Heated Gable Steveson Argument, Joe Pyfer, Response, Colby Covington is Ducking

What happened in this episode?

Bo Nickal joined The Ariel Helwani Show to clarify confusion around his expected matchup with Joe Pyfer after remarks made at a political rally circulated online. Nickal said the fight is still on but the date has changed, adding that he wants a five-round main event and that he would not have headlined on the originally discussed December card. He attributed the shift to managing an issue he says he has dealt with since January or February, explaining he needed time to avoid it worsening, but declined to disclose details.

The conversation also turned to wrestling and Real American Freestyle (RAF). Nickal gave a first-person account of confronting Gable Steveson at an RAF Cleveland event after Steveson, he says, began taking shots at him publicly. Nickal described the exchange as heated and recalled Steveson telling him, “I’ll knock you out.”

Nickal criticised RAF’s “crossover” concept and argued elite MMA grapplers are generally not competitive with top-level wrestlers, while still expressing interest in RAF if matched against other crossover athletes rather than full-time wrestling specialists. He said he is frustrated that a proposed bout with Colby Covington has not materialised, claiming he offered to wrestle at 190 or even cut to 185 but that Covington refused. Nickal also briefly discussed travelling to Moscow for an RAF event and a Pentagon visit with Penn State Wrestling.

What are the key points?

• Nickal says his fight with Joe Pyfer is still planned but has moved from the expected December date.
• He says he has managed an injury issue since January/February and took time off to prevent it worsening, without giving specifics.
• Nickal recounts a heated face-to-face argument with Gable Steveson at an RAF event, including a threat Nickal says Steveson made.
• He argues most MMA grapplers would be outmatched by top wrestlers under wrestling rules and calls himself the exception.
• Nickal claims he offered to wrestle Colby Covington at 190 or 185, but says Covington declined.
• He says he wants RAF matchups against other crossover athletes rather than full-time top-five-level wrestlers.

Who is speaking?

Named speakers identified in Egleze's source-linked moments from this episode.

• Bo Nickal

Which topics are covered?

How is this page sourced?

Programme

The Ariel Helwani Show

Duration

34m

Original episode

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Egleze verifies the speaker, source and timestamp for each linked moment. Unless a moment is explicitly marked independently verified, statements remain attributed claims by the named speaker rather than established facts.