Colby Covington tears into Ian Garry, says Bo Nickal’s ‘mystique’ is gone

Colby Covington has launched verbal attacks on both Ian Garry and Bo Nickal in a recent interview with Submission Radio, dismissing their credentials and prospects.

When discussing Garry's failed title bid against Islam Makhachev at UFC 330, Covington took a personal angle, making crude remarks about the Irish fighter's marriage while declining interest in facing him in grappling or wrestling competition. "I don't know if I want to roll around with this guy," Covington stated, suggesting he sees little value in such a matchup.

Covington was harsher still regarding Nickal, the UFC middleweight who recently suffered a decision loss to Max McEnelly at Real American Freestyle 12. The former interim welterweight champion believes Nickal's carefully cultivated aura has crumbled. "He talked a big game, but look what happens every time he's on the world stage," Covington said. "He comes up short. He's not undefeated. The mystique, the scary guy that they tried to build up to be this killer, you know, it's not there anymore."

Covington's assessment reflects a broader skepticism about how both fighters have performed in high-stakes situations. Garry's inability to capture UFC gold and Nickal's loss in freestyle wrestling—a discipline where the latter was supposed to excel—have become ammunition for Covington's critique. His dismissal of potential matchups with either fighter underscores his view that neither poses a competitive threat significant enough to warrant his time.