Reinier de Ridder rolls through Bo Nickal with brutal knee knockout win – UFC Des Moines Highlights

Former two-weight ONE Championship champion, Reinier de Ridder has landed the most high-profile win of his short Octagon tenure to date, handing the unbeaten uber-prospect, Bo Nickal his first-ever loss in professional mixed martial arts with a second round knockout at UFC Des Moines.

de Ridder, a former ONE championship middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder, had turned in a pair of stoppage victories in his first two outings in the UFC.

Firstly, debuting with a submission win over Gerald Meerschart, the Dutch finisher returned against Kevin Holland at UFC 311 at the beginning of the year, latching onto an early first round rear-naked choke.

And pushing the pace immediately against mega-wrestler, Nickal tonight, de Ridder was more than comfortable on the ground against the elite grappling talent.

In the second round, taking a lot out of the Contender Series product, de Ridder managed to find a succession of knee strikes in the clinch, waring on Nickal’s body.

And striking upstairs with some short punches, Reinier de Ridder would separate and then land a massive step-in knee to the body of Nickal once more, sending him to the Octagon canvas for a stunning second round knockout win.

Following his win, de Ridder staked his claim for a title-eliminator clash with former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.

Below, catch the highlights as Reinier de Ridder stops Bo Nickal in Iowa