Renier de Ridder: Ex-UFC champ tears into Bo Nickal over “pathetic” performance against Reinier de Ridder

Bo Nickal has faced severe backlash for his performance against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines on May 3. The previously-undefeated middleweight contender was touted as a future champion by several MMA pundits including Daniel Cormier. But following his loss, several former fighters have critiqued the 29-year-old, none more so than ex-UFC champion Luke Rockhold.

Rockhold did not hold back in his assessment of Nickal's showing. He believes that the wrestler-turned-MMA fighter does not have the "heart" to reach the pinnacle of mixed martial arts.

The former middleweight king's comments came during a recent interview with Submission Radio, where he said:

"This kid Bo Nickal is pretty pathetic. Talking a big game he was, but he was looking for a way out from the first-round on[wards]. The kid just needs to shut up. I think Bo just quit like a little b**ch. It was kind of pathetic to see a kid talk all this game and be as steeped as an American wrestler that he is. But there's such thing as competitors, wrestlers can be competitors. But they cannot be fighters all the time. And this kid is not a fighter, he's a competitor, and he's really a p**sy at heart."

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Check out Luke Rockhold's comments below (9:25):

Dricus du Plessis tells Bo Nickal that this is "fighting" and not wrestling

Bo Nickal was touted as one of the middleweight division's future champions, and despite being unranked, was already discussing how he would "ragdoll" elite competitors such as Khamzat Chimaev, should the pair fight.

Following Nickal's TKO loss to Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines, middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis shared his thoughts on the American's undoing. He also took aim at Nickal for his brash comments about other middleweight contenders.

The South African recently appeared on The Sias du Plessis Show, where he said the following:

"What I do have a problem with was [Nickal] was talking about people who has done what he has never done. He became a three-time NCAA champion if I'm not mistaken. Well, I mean, this is not wrestling... I think he thought he was going to walk through [de Ridder]... Once he had him down, what was he going to do? Just hold him down... His wrestling is incredible, but once again, we are not wrestlers, we are MMA fighters."

Check out Dricus du Plessis' comments on Bo Nickal below (32:00):

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Liam is a MMA and Boxing writer at Sportskeeda. His journey into MMA journalism began with a high school diploma in 2017, but his passion for writing led him to diverse experiences, including internships in research and writing roles and accounting work.

Liam's fascination with MMA was sparked by Conor McGregor, with Dustin Poirier's bout against Dan Hooker in 2020 sealing his love for the sport. Poirier remains Liam's favorite fighter, whom he admires for his attitude, fighting style, and persona both inside and outside the cage. He is an advocate for the removal of the 12-6 elbow rule in MMA.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi