Bo Nickal tried to clear the air with Gable Steveson. It didn’t go the way he hoped.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nickal recalled approaching Steveson backstage when both men competed at RAF 12 in Cleveland in August. The two decorated wrestlers had been trading words in public over how a wrestling match between them would play out.
Nickal said he wanted to get back on the same page because of their shared background. Instead, the talk turned to a match, and then a fight.
I’m like, ‘What are you even talking about, man? This is insane.’ I remember this so vividly.
He’s like, ‘I’ll knock you out.'
Nickal said he told Steveson he wasn’t sure he could beat him in a wrestling match, but he was confident he would destroy him in a fight. He also pointed out holes in Steveson’s defense that he believed would take time to fix.
That exchange came several weeks before UFC 331, where Sean Sharaf knocked Steveson out in 12 seconds.
Nickal knows that feeling. He suffered his first pro loss to Reinier de Ridder in 2025 before bouncing back. Despite the tension, he wants to see Steveson rebound.
Big setbacks can lead to big comebacks so I hope that he can figure his stuff out. Again, it’s weird, all the stuff between us. But, I still want to root for him and want him to do well.
Nickal also questioned whether people around Steveson are advising him to go after Nickal publicly to win over fans.