Reinier de Ridder scored a significant victory at UFC Fight Night in Des Moines by defeating Bo Nickal, handing the undefeated wrestler his first professional MMA loss. De Ridder secured a knockout with a well-timed knee to the liver at 1:53 of the second round, after a closely contested first round featuring grappling exchanges.
Reinier de Ridder
This win improved de Ridder’s UFC record to 3-0, all finishes, and raised his professional record to 20-2. Nickal, a highly regarded American wrestler and former NCAA champion, fell to 7-1 after the loss.
Following the fight, de Ridder called out Sean Strickland, one of the UFC’s most controversial figures and a top-five ranked middleweight striker. De Ridder explained his reasoning in a post-fight interview:
“I have to study him first and whatever, but I like the guy. He’s very funny. He’s a top five guy and I don’t think he has a fight scheduled. So I thought: this is the best American wrestler-let’s do the best American striker now. Let’s do Sean. It’ll be nice.”
Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland recently lost a title fight to Dricus du Plessis and is looking to rebound in his career. De Ridder sees a fight with Strickland as a stylistic challenge and an opportunity to prove himself further in the UFC middleweight division. With de Ridder’s momentum following his dominant win over Nickal, a bout against Strickland could position him closer to title contention.
Reinier De Ridder, a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, is quickly making a name for himself in the UFC’s middleweight division. His victory over Bo Nickal showcased his striking and clinch work, particularly his effective use of knees to the body, which ultimately led to the finish. He has expressed a clear goal of competing for the UFC middleweight title and is eager to face top contenders like Sean Strickland to advance his standing.
