UFC Hall of Famer defends Bo Nickal following first career loss in Des Moines

A one-time UFC champion has come to the defense of Bo Nickal.

Fans witnessed the first pro MMA loss in the young career of Nickal this past Saturday. Nickal took on the experienced de Ridder in the UFC Des Moines co-headliner. Things certainly didn’t go the way Nickal planned. The once unbeaten prospect couldn’t handle the pressure of the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, and he crumpled after receiving a knee to the body in the second stanza.

In the aftermath of the loss, Nickal has a supporter in one man who served as a color commentator for the fight.

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Michael Bisping Defends Bo Nickal

Michael Bisping recently dropped a new episode of his “Believe You Me” podcast. He provided his post-fight assessment, and admitted he feels fans are going overboard with the Bo Nickal hate (via MMAJunkie).

“Bo Nickal is getting slaughtered online. He’s getting so much sh*t,” Bisping said. “We both met Bo Nickal. He’s a really nice guy, he’s respectful. Of course, he was confident and rightly so given his wrestling credentials, what he has accomplished in one of the toughest sports on the planet. And yeah, when you put yourself out there and you say you’re going to do this, that, and the other, and that I’d be a favorite against Khamzat, OK, you’re allowed a little bit of backlash, but holy sh*t, people are coming after him so hard.”

Nickal has vowed to get back on the horse. Some prominent MMA figures such as Daniel Cormier have shared concern over Nickal’s development in MMA. Nickal admitted on “The Ariel Helwani Show” that the loss to Reinier de Ridder was an eye-opening experience for him.

Nickal’s coach Mike Brown shared an Instagram post and opined that Nickal will be able to take the defeat as a positive learning experience.