Reinier de Ridder calls out Sean Strickland after demolishing "best American wrestler" Bo Nickal: "Give me the best"

Reinier de Ridder walked into UFC Des Moines to bury the hype around Bo Nickal, and he accomplished that mission with a stellar performance. De Ridder folded Nickal with a vicious knee to the body in the second round and impressed everyone with his output throughout the fight.

The Dutchman now holds a 3-0 UFC record with a trio of dominant finishes. De Ridder put on a masterclass in control, timing, and brutality against Nickal.

Nickal started well, pressing the pace and taking the fight to the mat in the first round, but De Ridder maintained his composure. He chipped away with knees and body shots, slowly draining Nickal’s energy.

The second round was all De Ridder as he pushed forward, launching knees straight into Nickal’s ribs. With just under a minute gone, he stepped in and dug a left knee clean into the liver. Nickal crumpled, and the referee jumped in to stop the fight.

With this win against Nickal, De Ridder called out former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for a potential clash. Speaking at the post-fight octagon interview, De Ridder said:

"I wanted to say this [Nickal] is the best American wrestler you have right now. Give me the best American striker [next]. [Sean] Strickland, you're up, buddy. Let's go!"

Check out Reinier de Ridder's octagon interview below:

De Ridder's record now stands at 20-2, with thirteen of those wins coming by submission and five by knockout. He’s got momentum on his sails and has established himself as a problem in the middleweight division.

Strickland, who recently lost a title fight to Dricus du Plessis, could be the perfect next step. A potential victory over Strickland will catapult De Ridder's name into title contention. As for Strickland, the American fighter has dropped two decision losses to du Plessis and will need to work his way back to title contention.