After losing against Reinier de Ridder via TKO in the second round, Bo Nickal didn’t elaborate.
The Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines hosted the UFC middleweight bout. Nickal entered the bout unbeaten, but the night was ultimately won by de Ridder’s pressure. After a string of blows, followed by a knee to the body that sent Nickal sprawling to the mat, the former two-division ONE Championship champion scored the final.
Even though Nickal was the clear favorite coming into the fight, some fans and analysts believed that de Ridder’s experience would be too much for him. Nickal would have placed in the top 15 UFC middleweight rankings with a victory, but de Ridder feels he’s now in a position to take on a top five opponent.
Bo Nickal’s Post-Fight Thoughts
Following his UFC Des Moines loss, Bo Nickal didn’t a have lengthy message, but he vowed to push through (posed on Instagram).
“Grateful for the highs and lows. I’ll be back.”
Some supporters think Nickal will benefit from this educational experience. The once-unbeaten prospect had generated a lot of excitement, but his performance against Paul Craig in UFC 309 drew criticism. Despite it being Nickal’s seventh professional MMA bout, the buzz caused some people to turn against him.
Conversely, de Ridder might have set himself up for a big battle. He criticized Sean Strickland, the former middleweight champion of the UFC. After UFC Des Moines, de Ridder joked that he would be prepared for UFC 315 on Saturday and told reporters that he wanted the fight.
Follorwing After Saturday’s bout, de Ridder has now won four straight fights. His only losses came in 2022 and 2024, when he lost back-to-back to Anatoly Malykhin. It remains to be seen if UFC authorities will give him the fight he wants.
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