Skip to content

LEAGUES News

De Ridder hands Nickal 1st career loss with brutal TKO

Josh Hedges / UFC / Getty

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.

RELATED NEWS

LUKE KORNET DOING IT ALL FOR BOSTON ☘️
Celtics' Kornet gets 7th block before throwing down reverse lob 🤯
First career playoff goal for #10!
Panthers chase Woll with 5th goal 👋
WALK IT OFF YOUNG FELLA! @jhenmalloy
Tigers' Malloy rips walk-off single to complete sweep of Red Sox 🐅