Nickal says he was 'exposed' in 1st UFC loss

Bo Nickal is taking the first loss of his MMA career in stride.

The UFC middleweight prospect came up short for the first time this past weekend, suffering a second-round TKO defeat to Reinier de Ridder in Des Moines, Iowa.

Nickal reflected on the setback Tuesday on "The Ariel Helwani Show," vowing to continue to improve his game.

"I don't really feel like the goal or myself or anything has changed," Nickal said. "It's unfortunate to kind of have to experience that because I hate losing. But I think even now, having gone through many, many losses in the past, and feeling like those were some of the biggest catalyzing moments in my career, I'm already very grateful for it. I think this is nothing but a learning opportunity and an experience that I think will just help me grow and improve and get better."

Nickal, a three-time Division-I national champion in folkstyle wrestling, joined the UFC in 2023 as one of the brightest prospects in years. He found immediate success in the Octagon, scoring four straight wins, including three by stoppage.

But De Ridder, a former ONE Championship two-division titleholder with a significant edge in MMA experience, was too much for Nickal. De Ridder overpowered Nickal on the feet before finishing him with a devastating knee to the body in the second round.

Nickal said he was underprepared but credited De Ridder for being the "better fighter" and uncovering some holes in his skill set.

"When I look at that fight and some of the things that kind of were his biggest positives in the fight, those were things that I really wasn't prepared for," Nickal said. "So now it's like, 'All right, that's eye-opening.' I realized there were certain situations where I was vulnerable and certain weaknesses I had in my game, and those have been exposed. And now I get to work on them, which is a good thing."

When asked if he overlooked De Ridder, Nickal said he didn't - and that his mindset was much different.

"I looked at (De Ridder) as a really big test. ... Knowing the danger of the fight going in, I felt like there was a lot of opportunity and chances for me to have weaknesses in my game exposed, and that's exactly what happened," Nickal said. "I wasn't really afraid of that going in. I think more than being overconfident, it's just being naive. Being in certain situations and not realizing that I'm in danger. It just comes with experience.

"Again, I had an experience this past weekend that I'm gonna be really, really grateful for in the long run. He fought his fight, and I fought his fight, too. That's something that, moving forward in the future, I'm gonna know not to do."

Nickal, who now sits at 7-1 in pro MMA, said he hopes to return to the cage sooner than later.

"I'll talk to the coaches and see what's best," Nickal said. "Got to get back to 100% and feel like I can put a training camp together. We'll see. I would like to fight a couple more times this year. So getting back as quickly as possible would be good for me."