LEAGUES News
De Ridder hands Nickal 1st career loss with brutal TKO
Reinier de Ridder pulled off a stunning upset against Bo Nickal, handing the top UFC prospect his first career loss.
De Ridder finished Nickal with a devastating knee to the body in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines on Saturday night. The TKO win came at the 1:53 mark of the second round.
Nickal, a former standout NCAA wrestler, falls to 4-1 in the UFC and 7-1 as a professional MMA fighter.
Nickal was attempting to crack the top 15 of the middleweight division against the No. 13-ranked De Ridder, but instead, he's headed to the drawing board for the first time in his career.
After the fight, De Ridder expressed interest in a matchup against former champion Sean Strickland.
A former ONE Championship two-division titleholder, De Ridder improved to 3-0 in the UFC with the win over Nickal. He made his Octagon debut last November and has beaten Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and now Nickal.
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