EXCLUSIVE
‘It’s done’ – UFC star reveals first promised spot on White House card after conversation with Donald Trump
Bo Nickal has been told by Donald Trump that his spot on the UFC White House card is safe.
Nickal, 29, suffered the first defeat of his UFC career to Reinier de Ridder four months ago, but is hopeful of securing a place on the White House card through an emphatic victory on his return, which is expected in November.
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The middleweight from Colorado has told talkSPORT.com that he is waiting on his bosses to officially announce his comeback fight for UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden, with Rodolfo Vieira reportedly his next opponent.
After losing to de Ridder at UFC Iowa, Nickal signed with Real American Freestyle (RAF), the first unscripted pro-wrestling league co-founded by the late Hulk Hogan, though he is still contracted under the UFC banner.
He won his bout at the promotion's inaugural event on August 30, defeating fellow American Jacob Cardenas.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com after his triumph, the three-time NCAA champion opened up about his latest defeat and revealed a notable conversation with US President Trump about fighting at the White House.
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The Washington, DC, event has already been confirmed by UFC CEO Dana White and is expected to go down in June 2026.
Bo Nickal discussed UFC White House card with Donald Trump
“Yeah,” Nickal responded when asked if he wished to get involved with the UFC White House card.
"Before my match at RAF, I got to go on Fox & Friends to promote the event.
"President Trump watches Fox & Friends every morning, so he saw me and immediately gave me a call.
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"We chatted for five to 10 minutes after that, and we talked about the White House event.
“I told him to put in a word for me with Dana, and he said it's done.
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"So, I'm sure that if the timing works out and I want to be on the card, they'll make it happen.”
What is Bo Nickal's UFC record?
An outstanding wrestler in his youth, Nickal was touted as one of the biggest prospects in MMA before he signed with the UFC in 2023.
He had one fight under the Jorge Masvidal-owned iKON FC, defeating John Noland in 33 seconds, before earning his contract with the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series.
Nickal then made his debut at UFC 285 in March 2023 and won his first three fights in White's promotion inside the distance.
The American then proved he could mix it up with the very elite by outpointing Paul Craig at UFC 309 in November.
However, he was brought back to the drawing board when a vicious knee from former two-division ONE champion de Ridder meant he could no longer continue in their Des Moines co-main event in May.
Bo Nickal's UFC career
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Loss. Reinier de Ridder via second-round TKO at UFC Iowa in May 2025
Def. Paul Craig via unanimous decision at UFC 309 in November 2024
Def. Cody Brundage at UFC 300 via second-round submission in April 2024
Def. Val Woodburn at UFC 290 via first-round KO at UFC 290 in July 2023
Def. Jamie Pickett at UFC 285 via first-round submission at UFC 285 in March 2023
Bo Nickal 'grateful' for de Ridder defeat
Nickal said he looks at the loss with gratitude and is using it as a lesson to go on to bigger and better things in the future.
“I was definitely putting a lot of pressure on myself in a way because I wanted to get to the top really quickly," he said, speaking on his emotional response to the defeat.
“My path has been very unique and very different from most people. We can take pretty much any other UFC fighter ever, and they're they're competing after a decade of experience — 10, 15, 20 professional fights, then they get to the UFC.
"I was in the UFC after less than basically a year of training professionally... I had had one professional fight and then two on Contender Series when I signed.
"My path has been this rocket ship up to my last fight, and running into a guy like RDR, who is a seasoned veteran, a very experienced fighter, I knew going in that it was going to be a tough fight...
“I felt going in it was a challenge that I was ready to face, [but] afterwards I realised that there's a lot of improvements to be made and things to work on and areas that I can get better at.
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“I look at that fight with a lot of gratitude because it just showed me where I need to get better and where I need to improve.
“Most people have a loss, or especially like an undefeated fighter has a loss, and then it can really tank their trajectory or mess with their confidence and their mentality.
“But I've lost on big stages since I was a young kid… I’ve had a lot of losses on big stages.
“Of course, I've had a lot of wins as well. So, I feel like that loss it doesn't really change my confidence or my belief in myself.
“It’s just more of a lesson, an opportunity to learn and grow and get better. I'm grateful for it, and it's just going to springboard me to bigger and better things."
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Nickal is expected to face Brazil's Vieira at UFC 322, which is headlined by a welterweight title fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev.
Valentina Shevchenko takes on Weili Zhang in the co-main event for the women's flyweight belt, while Leon Edwards makes his return on the card to fight Carlos Prates.