UFC Middenweight Competent Bo Nickal has issued a statement about his knockout loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC des Moines.
Bo Nickal's offer to enter the top 15 of the middleweight falls short in a stunning way at UFC des Moines. In the Co-Main event against former two-part champion of two Division Reinier de Ridder, Nickal was eliminated in round 2 with a brutal knee to the liver.
It was Nickal's first MMA defeat after a dominant run so far in his career. Before he made the full -time transition to MMA, he was one of the most hyped prospects on the planet after winning NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships in Penn State.
After having had his first MMA opposite, Nickal heard of many trolls and critics on social media.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
'Thankful' Bo Nickal shares the first message since the shocking UFC des Moines defeat
Nickal, who recently teased future matchups against people like Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus du Plessis, showed that he still has a way to compete against the top middle weights. Before UFC des Moines, Nickal was severely criticized for his unanimous decision victory over Paul Craig on UFC 309 in November.
Nickal was one of the many prominent unbeaten hunters who suffer their first losses in 2025. But for Nickal, after the immense hype with which he entered the UFC, he will overcome one of the few moments of adversity in his martial arts career.
Despite many votes that weigh on Nickal's performance, the UFC star himself only spoke to his fans a few hours after the event.
In a cryptic Instagram post, Nickal gave his first public comments since his shocking defeat at UFC des Moines.
“Thankful for the highlights and lows. I am coming back,” Nickal posted.
After two Dana White's Contender Series victories, Nickal dominated his early UFC competition, including first round victories on Jamie Pickett and Val Woodburn. He received the call to fight on DWCs after just one professional fight.
Former UFC champion suggests that Bo Nickal makes a surprising change after the first loss
In the aftermath of UFC des Moines, a former champion suggested that the performance of Nickal demonstrated that he had to consider a movement of the weight class. Former UFC Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling claimed that Nickal is small for the middleweight division, and he would be wise to go to Welterweight.
Nickal has forced his entire MMA career in the middleweight. During his collegial wrestling career, the lowest weight where he participated was 174 pounds in Penn State.
Sterling's former rival Henry Cejudo, on the other hand, gave Nickal a more encouraging message after UFC des Moines. Just like Nickal, Cejudo came from a decorated wrestling background before switching to MMA.
While Nickal is the next one for him in his career, he hears criticism from many sides after UFC des Moines. The loss of Nickal temporarily soothes the immense hype associated with his Vechtrun, and he will want to jump back later this year.