7-0 in career fights, it seemed like Bo Nickal’s future held championship glory. But UFC Des Moines – and Reinier de Ridder – had other plans. The second round knockout at the hands of the former two-division ONE Champion fed Nickal a brutal slice of humble pie. For some fans, it was a much-needed reality check for a fighter who had gotten ahead of himself.
The former NCAA Division I champion has worked his way through Dana White’s Contender Series before debuting in the UFC in 2023. On the surface, four consecutive wins in the UFC look impressive. However, the opponents fed to Nickal weren’t exactly hard to overcome.
The bout with de Ridder was a considerable step up from Nickal’s previous fare against Paul Craig. A ranked middleweight with an impressive ONE Championship résumé, Nickal was facing by far his toughest adversary yet.
The dismantling of Nickal, which lasted less than two minutes, had fans questioning his wrestling base and self-inflated stock. Echoes of his challenges to middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev were turning back on Nickal in all the worst ways. However, UFC legend Michael Bisping had far more sympathy for the middleweight prospect.
“He’s come through the UFC, he’s undefeated, and I think some of the backlash is because people perceive that he was getting ‘Dana White privilege’, right? But I disagree,” argued Bisping.
UFC President Dana White has been questioned about the so-called ‘White privilege’ in the past, describing the concept as “hilarious” when appearing on The Jake Asman Show.
On this occasion, it was relating to Michael Chandler, who fought for a title in just his second UFC bout. The comparisons between Nickal and Chandler, however, show a stark contrast in achievements and experience.
Chandler was revered within MMA when he arrived in the UFC, having dominated in Bellator. By comparison, Nickal is still extremely early on in his UFC career and yet to really benefit from any ‘Dana White privilege’.
“He went on the ‘Contender’. They didn’t give him a contract because it was too early in his career,” Bisping added, noting that the de Ridder fight was simply a bad match-up for the American wrestler.
Bisping: Nickal bit off more than he could chew with de Ridder
Bisping’s defense of Nickal extended to the fight itself – something he saw as both a mismatch in both experience and size.
“He’s just so inexperienced and I think also when you look at the size of them both. Reinier de Ridder’s gigantic, he’s 6′ 4”,” the former middleweight champion asserted.
As for de Ridder’s record, it speaks for itself.
“The guy’s 20 and 2, world-class jiu-jitsu. You might have sh*t the bed on that one,” concludes Bisping crudely, referencing Nickal and his team and their decision to challenge the Dutch maverick.
While the fan backlash towards a humbled Nickal will steal the headlines, de Ridder will be looking to continue building his own well-earned momentum.
His UFC record remains at 100% after three fights, locking in a #13 ranking. While Bo Nickal is left to lick his wounds, surely a top ten middleweight fighter awaits de Ridder down the line.
