Bo Nickal dismisses underestimating Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines, admits being "naive" going into the fight

Middleweight Bo Nickal recently shared his perspective on his performance against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. Although he dismisses claims of underestimating his opponent, the former NCAA champion admits being "naive" walking into the fight.

This past weekend, Nickal suffered his first loss in the UFC. His opponent, de Ridder, successfully countered the takedown attempts and won the fight via a devastating knee to the body in the second round.

In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Nickal denies being overconfident going into the fight against the Dutch middleweight. However, he acknowledges his naivety ahead of the contest. He said:

"Absolutely not. I don't feel that I looked at RDR [Reinier de Ridder] as somebody I was gonna blow through. I looked at it as a really big test and a really big challenge. Of course, I am confident. We're all confident guys. I thought there were a lot of opportunity and chances for me to have weaknesses of my game exposed, and that's exactly what happened.

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He continued:

"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 I'm in danger, it comes with experience."

Check out Bo Nickal's comments below (5:15):

Darren Till advises Bo Nickal following his loss at UFC Des Moines

Former UFC middleweight Darren Till weighs in on Bo Nickal's first loss in the UFC against Reinier de Ridder. As a fighter who has had his fair share of devastating losses in the promotion, 'The Gorilla' offered advice to the former NCAA champion, urging him to stay humble. On X, he wrote:

"Unlucky for the weekend Bo Nickal. It’s hard at the top in MMA but I fully believe you can still be champion. You’ll grow from this. Just wanted to say as I am giving you praise. I also wanted to say about when you talked mad c*** about me how you would easily beat me."

He continued:

"Maybe now you know what it’s like being at the top as I have been to the top in MMA, had my losses and also had my wins. I hope you learn to never look down on people again especially in MMA, because this isn’t wrestling this is elite-level MMA. Go back to the drawing board and can’t wait to see how good you come back champ. All the best."

Check out Darren Till's comments below:

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan