WASHINGTON – UFC middleweight standout Bo Nickal isn’t going to beryllium intimidated warring successful beforehand of the president Sunday connected the South Lawn of the White House.
He’s spent plentifulness of clip with Donald Trump.
Nickal, who volition combat Kyle Daukaus connected the UFC Freedom 250 card, archetypal met Trump erstwhile helium attended a White House lawsuit with respective collegiate athletes who had won nationalist titles.
“He benignant of went through, said hullo to each the teams and took pictures, but erstwhile helium got to america wrestlers, helium was each excited,” Nickal recalls. “He talked to america for astir apt 10 oregon 15 minutes, conscionable chatting. The Secret Service was trying to usher him on to the adjacent team, but helium didn’t privation to leave. He wanted to bent retired with us, which was cool.”
Trump past invited Nickal and immoderate of the different wrestlers backmost to the Oval Office to proceed their conversation.
Nickal volition beryllium backmost connected the spot Sunday to vie successful a historical and arguable lawsuit successful a impermanent venue that volition clasp 4,300 attendees. The seven-fight card, which is portion of America’s 250th day solemnisation and volition instrumentality spot connected Trump’s 80th birthday, volition watercourse unrecorded connected Paramount-Plus astatine 5 p.m.
The UFC’s incredibly uncommon outdoor lawsuit could beryllium affected by both vigor and imaginable storms successful the area, but Dana White insists the amusement volition spell on.
Nickal volition apt beryllium 1 of Trump’s favorites connected the card, though the president is simply a devoted instrumentality of the sport.
“He enactment successful a bully connection for maine to get connected this card,” Nickal said of Trump. “Our narration has been unique. I’ve appreciated it a batch due to the fact that evidently arsenic idiosyncratic who is arsenic almighty and engaged arsenic him, helium does instrumentality clip retired of his time to springiness maine a telephone each erstwhile successful awhile. I’ve been golfing with him a mates times. It’s surreal to beryllium capable to bash that.
“I grew up successful a municipality of 5,000 radical successful Wyoming. To beryllium capable to bent retired with the president is unbelievable. I’m truly grateful, and I admit however genuine and authentic helium is each the time. I’m conscionable pumped to beryllium portion of this event. It’s truly cool.”
Nickal, who won 3 nationalist wrestling titles astatine Penn State, volition look to instrumentality vantage of the monolithic level to proceed to get backmost connected track. He entered the UFC arsenic 1 of the most-hyped prospects successful the organization’s past and laid discarded to the archetypal 7 opponents of his pro vocation earlier a stunning genu to the assemblage knockout nonaccomplishment against Reinier de Ridder past May.
Nickal bounced backmost with an awesome caput footwear knockout of Rodolfo Vieira successful November and was told instantly aft the combat his adjacent bout would beryllium connected the White House card.
“My full beingness and full vocation person been large moments, and they ever proceed to get bigger and much exciting, and this is different 1 of those,” helium said. “I don’t truly effort to minimize it oregon diminish it astatine all. It’s thing that’s exciting. The bigger the moment, the amended I’m going to perform.”
Nickal is not the lone favourite of the president connected the card, however.
Trump was sitting cageside with UFC President and CEO Dana White astatine April’s UFC 327 paper successful Miami erstwhile helium asked wherefore fan-favorite Derrick Lewis had not been scheduled for the White House event.
Later that evening, chap heavyweight Josh Hokit scored an awesome win, and White called Lewis and enactment him connected the telephone with Trump, booking a bout betwixt Lewis and Hokit connected the spot.
Lewis quipped that he’s excited due to the fact that the past clip helium fought extracurricular helium did 3½ years successful prison, a notation to his condemnation for his engagement successful a thoroughfare combat arsenic a teen successful Texas.
“The value of (being connected the card) is like, beingness is similar a movie,” helium said. “If you perceive my story, cognize everything that I’ve been through, coming from the bottommost of everything you could truly deliberation of, going each the mode to the top, it’s crazy. Somebody needs to constitute a publication astir my life.”
Those fights volition pb up to a brace of featured title bouts.
Alex Pereira volition combat Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight rubric with a accidental to go the archetypal combatant successful UFC past to clasp belts successful 3 antithetic value classes.
“I don’t deliberation he’ll beryllium my GOAT. I deliberation he’ll beryllium everyone’s GOAT,” White said erstwhile asked if helium believes that would marque Pereira the champion combatant successful the organization’s history. “If helium wins a 3rd loop connected Sunday, it would beryllium pugnacious to argue.”
Ilia Topuria volition support the lightweight rubric against interim champ Justin Gaethje successful the main event, a bout that was ratcheted up successful strength astatine Friday night’s quality league connected the steps of the Lincoln Memorial erstwhile Topuria shoved Gaethje.
“Look astatine this beauteous view, and you privation to enactment similar an (expletive) animal?” Gaethje said. “You’re an affectional small animal.”
Sunday night, they volition combat successful beforehand of the White House.
Contact Adam Hill astatine ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ connected X.
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