De Ridder Extends Winning Streak With TKO of Rising Prospect Bo Nickal
At UFC Des Moines, Reinier de Ridder put the Middleweight division on notice with his third straight finish. He added much-hyped wrestling phenom Bo Nickal to his list of victims, handing Nickal his first professional loss by TKO in Round 2.
The fight was competitive in the early going. They primarily engaged in the clinch, jockeying for position in the cage. De Ridder steadily chipped away with some small strikes to the body, while Nickal seemed primarily concerned with hunting for an opportunity to take the fight to the ground. The former NCAA wrestling champion found a takedown halfway through the round. After a bit of ground-and-pound, de Ridder rolled to his stomach. Nickal showed his inexperience here, selling out for a guillotine rather than maintaining position, landing strikes, and in all likelihood taking the round. The Dutchman immediately slipped his head free and controlled the remainder of the round, though Bo Nickal did well to avoid any meaningful damage or submission threats. He was able to get to his feet but lacked the time to accomplish much more. All three judges scored the first for RDR.
Round 2 saw more clinch work, and Reinier de Ridder saw his commitment to attacking the body pay off. He landed a hard knee in the clinch, and Nickal was visibly bothered, dropping his hands to cover his ribs. The former ONE champion quickly noticed and capitalized. In the ensuing sequence, he went back to the well, landing two more solid knees and a flurry of short punches against the cage as the American tried to hold on. However, the damage was done. De Ridder landed one more brutal knee straight to the liver, Nickal’s legs gave out, and the referee stepped in to protect him from further damage.
As One Hype Train Stalls on the Tracks, Another Gathers Steam
This was a serious step up in competition for Bo Nickal. His previous win against Paul Craig showed his ability to hang with a talented veteran, but de Ridder is more dynamic and brought championship experience that Nickal hadn’t yet encountered. The difference was clear, as the Dutchman took advantage of a couple of mistakes that were perhaps products of Nickal’s relative inexperience as a high-level MMA fighter. The American prospect still has a bright future. However, he will have plenty to parse through as he studies the tape of his first professional loss. If he can tighten up his striking and display better positional awareness in an MMA context, he should be able to come back better than ever and mount another attempt to break into the Middleweight rankings.
Conversely, Reinier de Ridder continues to impress and build upon his momentum. The TKO finish at UFC Des Moines showcases his versatility, following submission wins over Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland. He’s undefeated in the UFC and has not only beaten but also stopped all of his opponents thus far. His only professional defeats came at the hands of three-weight ONE champion Anatoly Malykhin, and he has yet to lose a fight at 185 pounds. He would seem to be in line for tougher tests after his impressive win over Nickal.
Next Steps for Reinier de Ridder
The former two-weight ONE champion took advantage of his opportunity on the microphone after his win, jostling for a high-profile fight against former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland. While RDR expressed enthusiasm for taking on any top-10 contender the UFC wants to throw his way, the Strickland fight seemed to particularly captivate him, as he mentioned in the octagon and reiterated at the post-fight press conference.
“This was the best American wrestler, let’s see the best American striker. I think it’s an interesting matchup style-wise. I would like that fight.”
After dominant wins over three unranked but talented opponents, a big fight certainly makes sense. Strickland poses a unique challenge, with his defensively oriented style predicated on high-volume jabs and push kicks. De Ridder has flashed sharp striking of his own, however, and of course, has an excellent jiu-jitsu game to boot. It would arguably be his sternest opposition to date, and certainly the highest-caliber opponent of his career besides Malykhin. Whoever the UFC queues up next for the streaking Dutch contender, we can expect fireworks as he continues to climb the ladder in search of championship gold once more, this time on the biggest stage of his career.
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