Bo Nickal says he warned Gable Steveson before 12-second UFC 331 knockout

Bo Nickal said he confronted Gable Steveson at a Real American Freestyle card in August and told the Olympic champion he would beat him in an MMA fight, pointing to gaps in his defence.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Tue 20 Oct, 10:34 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Bo Nickal says he told Gable Steveson about weaknesses in his striking defence only weeks before Steveson was knocked out in 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 in September.

The defeat was a major setback for Steveson, an Olympic wrestling gold medallist who arrived in the UFC as a highly regarded heavyweight prospect. Nickal, a decorated collegiate wrestler himself, has now described a heated exchange between the pair before that fight.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nickal said he confronted Steveson when both appeared on the same Real American Freestyle (RAF) card in August. The pair had previously disagreed over how a potential wrestling match between them would play out. Nickal said: “I’m like, ‘What are you even talking about, man? This is insane.’ I remember this so vividly.” He recalled Steveson's reply: “He’s like, ‘I’ll knock you out’.” Nickal said he answered that he was unsure whether he could beat Steveson in a wrestling match, but believed he would beat him heavily in MMA. He said he also pointed out defensive deficiencies that Steveson would need time to fix.

The UFC middleweight also questioned whether members of Steveson's team had encouraged him to make public comments about Nickal, saying the two American wrestlers had previously been on cordial terms.

Nickal, who has a 6-1 professional record, suffered his own first defeat against Reinier de Ridder in 2025 before returning to winning ways. He said he still hopes Steveson can recover from the knockout and fulfil his potential in MMA: “Big setbacks can lead to big comebacks so I hope that he can figure his stuff out.”

In this story

Bo Nickal Gable Steveson Sean Sharaf Reinier de Ridder