Bo Nickal says peace talk with Gable Steveson at RAF 12 turned to fight talk

Nickal said on The Ariel Helwani Show that he told his fellow wrestler he would destroy him in a fight. Weeks later, Sean Sharaf knocked Steveson out in 12 seconds at UFC 331.

Bo Nickal has said his attempt to settle his differences with Gable Steveson backstage at RAF 12 in Cleveland in August ended with the pair arguing first about a wrestling match and then about a fight.

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Nickal said he approached Steveson because of their shared wrestling background and wanted the two of them to get back on the same page. The decorated wrestlers had been trading words in public over how a wrestling match between them would play out.

Nickal said he told Steveson he was not sure he could beat him in a wrestling match but was confident he would destroy him in a fight. He also said he pointed out holes in Steveson's defence that he believed would take time to fix. Nickal said he remembered the exchange vividly, recalling that he asked Steveson what he was talking about and told him the conversation was insane.

Several weeks later, Sean Sharaf knocked Steveson out in 12 seconds at UFC 331.

Nickal suffered his first professional loss to Reinier de Ridder in 2025 before bouncing back, and said he wants Steveson to recover in the same way. He said big setbacks can lead to big comebacks and that, although things between them were weird, he still wanted to root for Steveson and see him do well.

Nickal also questioned whether people around Steveson were advising him to go after Nickal publicly to win over fans.

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