Carter Starocci makes feelings known after Bo Nickal's UFC Des Moines loss

Former Penn State Nittany Lions wrestler Carter Starocci penned a six-word message to fellow Nittany Lion alum Bo Nickal following the latter's defeat at UFC Des Moines. The American wrestler had maintained a perfect 7-0 record, making it his first loss in his professional MMA career.

The UFC Des Moines event took place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday, May 4. In the co-main event, ONE two-division Champion Reinier de Ridder landed a knee to Nickal's body, leading to his defeat.

Carter Starocci showed his support and wrote on X:

“Easy fix. Bo will be champ!”

The post quickly gained traction among fans, with mixed reactions.

"@NoBickal, is the man. He’ll bounce back. Strong," one fan commented.

"Tell Bo to contact Jon Jones strength training coaches. That’s the style of lifting he needs," another fan wrote.

Former UFC Champion Henry Cejudo also publicly supported Nickal after the loss. He tweeted:

"This is not the end. I got finished by Demetrious Johnson with a similar body shot and I went on to avenge that loss and become champion. You are capable of doing the same. Get back on your horse brother #UFCDesMoines"

Bo Nickal had a strong start in the opening round, but in the second round, de Ridder gained momentum, landing knees to the body. The fight ended at 1:53 of Round 2, with a knee to Nickal’s liver securing a TKO victory for de Ridder.

Before transitioning to MMA, Nickal had won three NCAA Division I wrestling titles and the prestigious 2019 Dan Hodge Trophy while competing for Penn State.

Nickal has also backed Carter Starocci throughout his wrestling career. He defended Starocci when Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs suggested targeting Starocci’s injured knee.

Carter Starocci recently concluded his collegiate career by winning his fifth NCAA Championship title, never missing the title since his debut in 2021. He also claimed a bronze medal at the U23 World Championships in freestyle wrestling and is a three-time Big Ten Champion.

---

Carter Starocci on six years of change from freshman to champion and coach Cael Sanderson’s support

Carter Starocci during the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships - Source: Getty

Speaking to FloWrestling after winning his fifth NCAA title, Carter Starocci opened up about his transformation over the past six years, from a true freshman to one of college wrestling’s stars. He explained (4:46 onwards):

“Yeah, I think at high school I was kind of misunderstood just because I was so competitive and just like not many people around me had that same kind of drive, so if people didn’t have the drive, it would piss me off and I’m like dude let’s go. And then like no one kind of matched the intensity so I maybe kind of misunderstood a little bit, and it would just make it worse.”

Reflecting on his time at Penn State and the influence of his coach, Starocci added:

“And then obviously coming to Penn State just you know, even like coach Cael Sanderson, like he’s the greatest of all time and like he’s a guy if you talk about his accomplishments he kind of puts his head down, and he doesn’t like talking about it. I don’t know the reason behind that, but if I would guess, maybe because he looks at it like God’s not going to treat him any different because he is a champion in wrestling.”

Carter Starocci concluded by saying that seeing his coach, Cael Sanderson, and the coaching staff lead by example feeds his spirit.