Bo Nickal breaks his silence after suffering first career loss at UFC Des Moines: 'I'll be back'
05/04/2025 05:08 PM
Bo Nickal hasn't tasted defeat very often in his athletic career but he always seems to come back better.
That's effectively the message the three-time NCAA champion wrestler sent out after breaking his silence following a disappointing result in his co-main event fight against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. The highly touted prospect suffered a second-round knockout loss after de Ridder blasted Nickal to the body with a brutal knee strike that ended the fight.
While certainly not the outcome he wanted, Nickal vowed that he'll bounce back when it comes time to fight again.
"Grateful for the highs and lows," Nickal wrote on Instagram. "I'll be back."
Just after the fight ended on Saturday, American Top Team — the gym that Nickal calls home — also released a brief statement on social media and echoed a similar feeling about the result.
"Less than four years in the sport, and already on the biggest stage. Setbacks are part of the journey. Learn, grow, and come back stronger. Bo Nickal will be back."
Less than four years in the sport, and already on the biggest stage.
— American Top Team (@AmericanTopTeam) May 4, 2025
Setbacks are part of the journey. Learn, grow, and come back stronger. @NoBickal will be back #UFC#MMA#Wrestling#Resilience
Prior to his loss to de Ridder on Saturday, Nickal had been almost flawless during his MMA career with a perfect 7-0 record including six wins by knockout or submission.
It wasn't until he faced veteran fighter Paul Craig in his previous outing that Nickal had even gone to decision but his good fortune changed to bad against de Ridder.
The former two-division ONE champion gave Nickal fits in the clinch and even managed to control the Penn State standout on the ground after a grappling exchange ended with de Ridder on top.
But as much as attention was paid to Nickal's wrestling and de Ridder's world-class jiu-jitsu, the difference in the fight really came down to striking.
With Nickal looking labored in his movement, de Ridder really started focusing on the body where he began unloading a series of knee strikes. After Nickal threw an ill-fated boxing combination, de Ridder fired back with a knee directly to the midsection and the 29-year-old middleweight crumbled to the canvas.
The loss drops Nickal to 7-1 in his career but obviously he's already planning on learning from this experience with hopes for a better result next time out.
