Bo Nickal gets 100% real about Reinier de Ridder after his first MMA loss

Bo Nickal recently opened up about his unexpected loss to Dutch fighter Reinier de Ridder. The American MMA fighter lost to his Dutch opponent by a technical knockout in the second round of the UFC 309 bout.

In his conversation with journalist Ariel Helwani, Nickal offered no excuses. He simply revealed that Ridder was the better opponent amongst the two, and Nickal was no match for him.

"I look at the guy I competed against, he's good everywhere. He has many knockout finishes, many submissions...Going in, I was just trying to win the fight," Nickal said. (0:01 onwards)

The UFC fighter further added that Ridder outperformed him in almost every department. In his words,

"He was overall just more well rounded, more skilled and more experienced than me...That's what it comes down to, he was a better fighter...There's still so much room to improve... that's emphasized even more having been exposed like that."

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Previously, Bo Nickal had a record of 7-0, including 2 wins by knockout and 4 by submission. With the loss to Reinier de Ridder at the UFC middleweight bout held in Madison Square Garden, his record now stands at 7-1. Nickal is hopeful of a strong comeback.

Bo Nickal admits being 'naive' before the fight against Reinier de Ridder

Bo Nickal [L] in action against Reinier de Ridder of Netherlands at the UFC 309 bout [Image Source: Getty]

Bo Nickal also responded to the severe criticism after the loss against the Dutch MMA fighter Reiner de Ridder. The 29-year-old American fighter mentioned that he was naive before he went into the fight against his Dutch opponent.

In his conversation with Ariel Helwani, Nickal denied being overconfident about his fight against Ridder. In his words,

"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."

Bo Nickal also responded to the fierce backlash he received after the loss against Reinier de Ridder. The 29-year-old American maintained that such criticism is a part and parcel of his job, and he would only pray that his critics find a better path. Nickal also hopes for a future collaboration with Ridder, who also expressed his interest towards the same.

About the author

Animesh Pandey is a seasoned content writer at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience, having previously worked as an intern for Follow Your Sport before joining SK as a columnist in 2017. A graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, he also worked at TFI Media Private Limited and contributed as an intern for the movie website Nettv4u.

He has extensively covered events from World Championships to the Olympics, providing insights and analyses that resonate with his audience. His belief in mastering the basics and delivering accurate, relevant, and ethical information through thorough research is reflected in his work.

He was notably invited to the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhavan after winning a MyGov quiz on Indian Sports, where he engaged with celebrated athletes such as Rahi Sarnobat, Hima Das, Jinson Johnson, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, and Subedar Neeraj Chopra, who also happens to be his favorite Olympian.

Despite being a field hockey enthusiast, Animesh's most cherished Olympic moments include Wayde Van Niekerk's unexpected world record in the 400 meters at Rio and Chopra's historic gold medal in Tokyo.

When not immersed in writing or watching the Olympics, Animesh indulges in his love for movies, embracing quality cinema regardless of the language.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee