Trump’s UFC favourites keep getting KO’d
And it's making the sport fun to watch again.
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It wasn’t too long ago that Bo Nickal was walking us through his plans to become UFC champion.
During a conversation with Chael Sonnen—a former UFC contender who later pleaded guilty to money laundering in connection to mortgage fraud—the three-time NCAA Division I champion and Dan Hodge trophy winner predicted that Khamzat Chimaev would be champion by the time he got his title shot, and that he was the man to hand Chimaev his first professional defeat.
“If you want to fight and beat the guys who are the best in the world, you have to do it with your brain,” Nickal, who had yet to break into the official UFC rankings, said at the time.
Nickal’s delusions would quickly meet an unpleasant reality. On May 3rd, 2025—less than five months after Nickal made his bold prediction—the wrestler suffered the his first professional loss, losing to experienced veteran Reinier de Ridder. It was a brutal finish for the American, who endured a barrage of knees to the liver and solar plexes before collapsing on the canvas, his expression dejected and defeated.
What was particularly amusing about Nickal’s loss, beyond his delusions of grandeur, was the fact that he was the latest of Trump’s favourite fighters to suffer a humiliating defeat since his election.
When Trump attended UFC 314 in Miami last month with a large contingent of his cabinet, Americans went 1-6 throughout the night. MAGA stalwart Michael Chandler extended his UFC record to a dismal 2-5 after a TKO loss to Paddy Pimblett, while Bryce Mitchell—the Hitler apologist who once tore his scrotum with a power drill—was choked unconscious under the watchful eye of his dear leader, seated cageside.
The result was particularly embarrassing for Mitchell, who once claimed he would “die fighting in battle” for Trump—an offer that rings hollow when the man you’d die for is watching a referee try to wake you up from a stint in Dreamland.
Trump showed up at UFC 314 to project strength amid the disastrous buffoonery of his ongoing global trade war. But by night’d end, his MAGA fighters were outclassed by foreigners from the very countries he postures against. The symbolism was tantalizing, especially given the important role that the UFC has played in platforming Trump and his MAGA ideology.
This brings us back to Nickal, another of Trump’s golden boys.
The two have known each other since 2019, when Nickal was invited to the White House after winning the US Open championship and the NCAA title. “I told [Trump] I was gonna fight, he asked me if I needed a manager and he would manage me for the fights. I was like, ‘I think you’re a little too busy.’”
While Trump didn’t end up managing Nickal, the two met again during UFC 290 in July 2023 and have been golfing partners ever since. “We golfed together, and since then he kinda likes me for whatever reason, I don’t know, and of course I loved hanging out with him. Loved spending time with him and learning and just talking about stuff. So we’ve hung out a bunch since then,” Nickal continued.
Nickal wasn’t exaggerating. Trump brought him up in numerous interviews, including his pre-election appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. Here is that interaction:
Trump: “You know Bo Nickal? He's a great fighter.”
Rogan: “Yeah, I love Bo Nickal.”
Trump: “How’s he going to do? I think he’s terrific. He was like, almost undefeated in college.”
Rogan: “He’s a fantastic wrestler and one of the best mixed martial artists. He’s fighting at Madison Square Garden in November.”
Trump: “Ooooh, that’s gonna be after the election. So I’ll either go as President or I’ll be depressed and I won’t bother going.”
Nickal has since continued to show his allegiance to Trump, even appearing on right wing news outlets to defend the president. In March, he appeared alongside former Hunter Biden associate Toby Bobulinski on Newsmax and claimed that he and Trump are "cut from the same cloth." He also added that Trump is "a guy that is going to go fight for the American people every day, and that's somebody that I want to get behind."
Nickal’s misplaced confidence in his own abilities coupled with his full-throated support for Trump left him with little online sympathy following his loss. Only Henry Cejudo—a former UFC champion who himself is a Trump supporter—had words of encouragement for the young fighter. Others claimed he was due some “humble pie” or that he just simply “sucks.”
Yet perhaps the harshest analysis came from UFC veteran Derek Brunson, who left just two words on Twitter: “OMG comedy.”
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Isn't Ryan Garcia a Trump favorite too, Karim?