Bo Nickal shares brief words following UFC Des Moines loss to Reinier de Ridder

Bo Nickal kept things short in his reaction following a second-round TKO loss to Reinier de Ridder.

The UFC middleweight fight was held inside Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Nickal was undefeated going into the fight, but de Ridder’s pressure ending up winning the evening. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder scored the finish after landing a series of strikes that was topped off by a knee to the body that sent Nickal crashing to the mat.

While Nickal was the favorite going into the bout, there were some experts and fans who felt de Ridder’s experience would be too much too soon for him. A win for Nickal would’ve given him a spot in the top 15 UFC middleweight rankings, but de Ridder hopes he’s now in position to face a top five fighter.

RELATED: REINIER DE RIDDER CALLS FOR SHOWDOWN WITH SEAN STRICKLAND AFTER UFC DES MOINES

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 fans believe this will be a positive learning experience for Nickal. There had been significant buzz for the once-unbeaten prospect, but he was criticized for his UFC 309 performance against Paul Craig. While it was just Nickal’s seventh pro MMA fight, some turned on him given the hype.

On the other end, de Ridder may have positioned himself for a major fight. He called out former UFC Middleweight Champion Sean Strickland. Following UFC Des Moines, de Ridder told reporters that he wants the fight and joked that he’d be ready for UFC 315 on Saturday.

Follorwing Saturday’s event, de Ridder is now on a four-fight winning streak. Back-to-back losses to Anatoly Malykhin in 2022 and 2024 are his lone defeats. Whether or not UFC officials give him the fight that he’s looking for remains to be seen.