Calls mount after Bo Nickal's UFC Des Moines loss as coach clears the air

Bo Nickal's coach recently opened up about his pupil's UFC Des Moines loss and addressed the criticism Nickal has received. Nickal suffered a second-round TKO loss to Reinier de Ridder, which marked the first defeat of his MMA career.

The former NCAA champion failed to dominate de Ridder with his elite-level wrestling. After Nickal received backlash from some in the MMA community who claimed he was exposed for not being as good as he is perceived to be, his coach cleared the air and fired back.

ATT coach Mike Brown took to Instagram and mentioned that the disparity with experience was on full display, considering his pupil's trajectory. Brown also credited de Ridder's excellent performance.

"As a team, we had out concerns about moving so fast and we realize the dangers of fighting such high level opponents so early... This past weekend, Bo's lack of experience showed, his wrestling and athleticism wasn't enough to overcome what was in front of him."

He added:

"Reinier de Ridder now 20-2 was a multi-time two-division world champion in OneFC, a very reputable organization. Props to him for coming with a strong game plan and executing what was needed."

Check out Mike Brown's comments below:

---

Mike Brown believes Bo Nickal will be a better fighter following first loss

Mike Brown also believes Bo Nickal will be a better fighter following his first UFC loss, and it will serve him well in his continued development.

In the aforementioned post, Brown mentioned that losing is a learning experience, especially against a top contender like Reinier de Ridder, who has won championships in a major organization. He said:

"This is the fight game and it's cliche but this is where we learn. This is where we make changes and where we make the biggest gains. I'm confident that this is going to fuel Bo and it will help him direct his focus to another level."

Check out Bo Nickal's statement following first career loss below: