Bo Nickal’s Loss Has UFC Fans Questioning ‘American Wrestling Base’ That Built Jon Jones, And Other Legends

Former NCAA Division I champ, Bo Nickal, suffered his first UFC loss against debutant Reinier de Ridder last night, to serve criticism from fans everywhere. The middleweight prospect, who was on a 7-fight win streak since his debut with the Dana White Contender Series in 2022, now sees his hype train screech to a halt after UFC Des Moines.

Nickal had long been discussed as a potential title winner in the future and has even called out middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev on multiple occasions to much ridicule. Last night’s loss has only strengthened those arguments against his future.

While his di Ridder is a former ONE middleweight champion, Nickal capitulating the way he did in the second round, has fans questioning if his wrestling credentials were smoke and mirrors to begin with, or if the blame lies with the American alone.

Primarily, however, the poor show has been taken as a commentary on the importance placed by UFC analysts on American wrestling and if it translates well inside the octagon.

An MMA account posted a photo of a few wrestlers like Kamaru Usman and Cejudo, along with Bo Nickal, and raised the question, “Is wrestling the worst base for MMA?”

“No but American wrestling is,” and “American Wrestling* is the worst base for MMA,” comments like these seemed to highlight the common thought among fans.

Meanwhile, some others took the opportunity to point out how Dagestani wrestling was more successful, “If you’re not from Dagestan.”

Another group of fans seemed to bash the X account that posted Nickal alongside the likes of Usman, Cejudo and Khabib, “3 Champions there & one hype job with terrible rushed matchmaking. If Bo relied on his wrestling base often, he’d be far more successful”.

“3/7 of our champs are wrestlers but I see you have an agenda to push so I’ll leave you alone,” retorted another.

At this point, Nickal will simply have to take a step back, take a good look at how he could improve on his skills, and find a balance between using his wrestling skills to complement his newfound enthusiasm for striking.

Some analysts have also pointed out that this loss might not be such a bad thing for middleweight.

Analysts argue loss maybe good for Nickal

Nickal lost his unbeaten record, but it should be noted that MMA is not boxing, where one loss defines your entire career. If that were the case, then Charles Oliveira would never have become champion.

The Brazilian’s first few fights in the UFC were not what he wanted, he was just not able to keep a winning streak going. But after his loss to Paul Felder at UFC 218, he turned things around, went on an 11-fight winning streak, became champion, and never looked back.

According to MMA reporter Aaron Bronsteter, this loss to de Ridder may just be that key moment in Nickal’s career.

“This sort of loss is exactly what Bo Nickal needed right now. He had lost momentum after the Craig fight, then they matched him tough and he lost. There is so much room for growth and someone with his work ethic will thrive off of a loss like this.” Bronsteter said.

In the 3 years he has been with the UFC, Nickal was expected to make serious progress in terms of skills. However, that has not been the case. Unusually cautious in stepping into the octagon, Nickal has also found himself being ousted from the list of ranked fighters in the last few months.

His previous fights, though wins, have failed to impress fans and analysts alike, who assert that amateur wrestling doesn’t always translate well into a cage. Nickal will have to understand that simple fact and implement methods that complement his technical prowess. Hopefully, he takes the time to do that.