Reinier de Ridder ready for big fights after Bo Nickal upset at UFC Des Moines
Reinier de Ridder ready for big fights after Bo Nickal upset at UFC Des Moines Former ONE two-division champ had one of 2025's biggest upsets
After he delivered a left strike that staggered Bo Nickal backwards, UFC middleweight Reinier de Ridder (20-2) surged forward with a left knee to his opponent's abdomen.
Nickal (7-1) collapsed near the cage before the referee called the fight in round two in favor of the Netherlands-born fighter.
With his arms raised to his side, de Ridder stood upward then blew kisses to a few upset fans in the crowd before he formed a heart-shaped motion to cap off his post-fight celebration at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on May 3.
De Ridder handed Nickal, a four-time Penn State wrestling All-American, the first loss of his mixed martial arts career. He did it with a collection of body shots throughout the fight.
'I felt like every time I hit him to the body, I felt him dropping his hands a little bit, I felt him moving to his right like he was hurt a little bit,' de Ridder said. 'I saw he was hurt (in the second round). I took a step back. I stepped back in; he hit me with a one-two (punch). I was like, 'that's not smart' and then I hit him again to the body, and I got him out of there and I felt he was on his way out already.'
Prior to the middleweight scrap, de Ridder's walkout carried a roar of boos more than his octagon counterpart like a soldier entering enemy territory. Yet, the TKO finish unleashed a high-pitched roar of applause. It was de Ridder's third-straight win in the UFC over the last six months.
Following the fight, de Ridder sported bumps, bruises and a noticeable grin as he took his seat inside the media interview room in the depths of Wells Fargo Arena.
'It wasn't too bad right?' de Ridder said with a smirk post-fight.
The result offered a bit of jubilation and a victory over a rising prospect in Nickal. For de Ridder, the win was a stepping stone to a bigger opportunity against a top-ten fighter in the middleweight division. He called for a fight against former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, who is ranked No. 2 in the division.
'As I said in the cage. This was the best American wrestler? Let's do the best American striker,' de Ridder said. 'I like Sean, he's a funny dude, he's a real character … and I think he's an interesting matchup style-wise. He has a very good jab; I don't think my jab is too bad. I would like that fight, I would really like that fight.'
De Ridder has a knack for competition. So much so, he'd fight the following week if it meant that he'd climb the middleweight division at a faster rate. For now, he's enjoying the fruits of his labor focused on a higher-stakes showdown.
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