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Reinier de Ridder is no fan of the hatred and mockery that Bo Nickal has been subjected to following the All-American wrestler's loss to him at UFC Des Moines. De Didder shared his take on the situation in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, where he expressed his disappointment over fan conduct regarding Nickal.
Ahead of UFC Des Moines, Nickal was among the hottest prospects in MMA, but had a polarizing image due to his subpar performance against Paul Craig at UFC 309 and his braggadocious personality despite his lack of accomplishments in MMA. De Ridder, though, does not believe this is reason enough to hate Nickal. He said:
"Yeah, I don't like that stuff. It's not a nice part of our culture at the moment that people will hate on somebody online like that. I've said this a couple of times in interviews after the fight, but it's pretty easy for him to get away from. He doesn't need to be on social media. He can just put the phone down for a couple of days and it would have been over. He wouldn't have had to take all the negative stuff in, but I don't believe he did."
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Check out Reinier de Ridder's thoughts on the Bo Nickal hate train (6:57):
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Unfortunately for Nickal, the many statements he has made throughout the years haven't endeared him to the MMA fandom. Not only did he claim that he would have been a favorite against Khamzat Chimaev, but also criticized the grappling of Israel Adesanya, with both men being vastly more accomplished than him in MMA.
Bo Nickal just suffered his first professional MMA loss
After authoring a 7-0 record, Bo Nickal took on Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. Despite being supremely confident heading into the bout, the three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion was completely out of his depth in the fight. After minimal success in round one, he tired tremendously.
Afterward, de Ridder took control of the fight, outmuscling and outhustling him in the clinch, while also picking him apart in the striking department. In round two, he landed knees to the body that folded Nickal over for the TKO.
