Former President Donald Trump was a guest on the UFC Unfiltered podcast this week on UFC Fight Pass, and he praised Penn State wrestling legend and current UFC up-and-comer Bo Nickal.
“You have somebody fighting Bo tonight,” Trump said. “He was at the White House. He was with (United States Representative) Jim Jordan. Jim Jordan was a great wrestler. He was an NCAA champion. He brought all of the championship wrestlers in their divisions to the White House.
He said, ‘That guy (Nickal) is going to be a UFC fighter, and that guy is going to be great.’
45 is a Bo Nickal guy too?!
Catch President Trump's #ufcunfiltered appearance by signing up TODAY for #ufcfightpass!@realDonaldTrump@NoBickal pic.twitter.com/MTs4tB6bOZ
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 26, 2023
Jordan was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion at 134 pounds from the University of Wisconsin in 1985 and 1986. Nickal won gold in three straight years from 2017-19 while at Penn State. He also won the Big Ten three times.
President Trump is a known fan of combat sports, frequently being seen at UFC events. He also attended this year’s NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa, OK.
That weekend, Penn State wrestling cruised to its 10th team national championship in 12 seasons under the great Cael Sanderson.
Carter Starocci (174 pounds) and Aaron Brooks (184) took home individual national championships for Penn State that night. Starocci shook Trump’s hand and spoke highly of him in the post-match press conference.
Merica pic.twitter.com/AGaCLxQ2zd
— MatScouts (@MatScouts1) March 18, 2023
“That’s (meeting Trump is) pretty cool,” Starocci said. “I like watching his interviews because he’s a big personality. He has a set of big balls. I like how his mind works. Pretty big being with him.”
Nickal seemed to be pleased with Trump’s shout out, responding to the tweet of the podcast clip with “USA 🇺🇸.”
USA 🇺🇸 https://t.co/O4fIznIPAP
— Bo Nickal (@NoBickal) July 26, 2023
