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American MMA artist Bo Nickal had a tough time at the recent UFC bout against Reinier De Ridder of the Netherlands. Nickal lost to the Dutch MMA fighter in the UFC middleweight bout held at Madison Square Garden.
Nickal was subject to massive trolling online after his loss due to his previous statements against fellow fighter Khamzat Chimaev. The 29-year-old has decided to share his thoughts about the same.
In his conversation with journalist Ariel Helwani, Nickal mentioned that he is okay with the criticism as it is part of the job.
" 'I'm like, just let it be. It's fine. It's part of the the job...' The negativity, I'm totally ok with it. I just honestly pray for those people. The only reason that they can send that in my direction is because they're already full of that. I would pray that they find a better path," he said.
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For the unversed, Bo Nickal had claimed that he could 'rag doll' Russian MMA champion Khamzat Chimaev if he ever competed against him. The MMA artist had made these claims in an interview with MMA Hour in April 2024. However, Nickal lost to Reinier de Ridder in a technical knockout in the second round of his bout.
Bo Nickal shares his thoughts on making a comeback
![Bo Nickal reacting after losing to Reinier de Ridder at the UFC bout [Image Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/05/50e96-17465856961074-1920.jpg)
Bo Nickal may have suffered his first loss in his UFC career, but he is far from disappointed. In the interview with Ariel Helwani, the 29-year-old middleweight fighter talked about his plans for a comeback.
Nickal acknowledged that he may have messed up in his fight with the Dutch opponent Reinier de Ridder.
"I was talking with coach Mike [Brown] on the way back and I was like, 'I wanna fight ASAP. Let's go, like get back into it.' But I think I'll talk with the coaches and see what's best. Got to get back to a hundred percent and feel like I can put a training camp together. But, we'll see. I would like to fight a couple more times this year. So, get back as quickly as possible would be good for me," he said.
Interestingly, Ridder is equally enthusiastic about the comeback of Bo Nickal. In an interview with MMA journalist Damon Martin, the Dutch fighter talked about a potential collaboration with Nickal, which would work to the benefit of both the fighters.
