Bo Nickal hasn’t tasted defeat fairly often in his athletic profession however he at all times appears to come back again higher.
That’s successfully the message the three-time NCAA champion wrestler despatched out after breaking his silence following a disappointing lead to his co-main occasion combat towards Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. The extremely touted prospect suffered a second-round knockout loss after de Ridder blasted Nickal to the physique with a brutal knee strike that ended the combat.
Whereas definitely not the result he needed, Nickal vowed that he’ll bounce again when it comes time to combat once more.
“Grateful for the highs and lows,” Nickal wrote on Instagram. “I’ll be again.”
Simply after the combat ended on Saturday, American Prime Crew — the gymnasium that Nickal calls house — additionally launched a quick assertion on social media and echoed an identical feeling in regards to the end result.
“Lower than 4 years within the sport, and already on the largest stage. Setbacks are a part of the journey. Study, develop, and are available again stronger. Bo Nickal will probably be again.”
Lower than 4 years within the sport, and already on the largest stage.
Setbacks are a part of the journey. Study, develop, and are available again stronger. @NoBickal will probably be again #UFC #MMA #Wrestling #Resilience
— American Prime Crew (@AmericanTopTeam) Might 4, 2025
Previous to his loss to de Ridder on Saturday, Nickal had been nearly flawless throughout his MMA profession with an ideal 7-0 file together with six wins by knockout or submission.
It wasn’t till he confronted veteran fighter Paul Craig in his earlier outing that Nickal had even gone to determination however his success modified to dangerous towards de Ridder.
The previous two-division ONE champion gave Nickal matches within the clinch and even managed to manage the Penn State standout on the bottom after a grappling trade ended with de Ridder on prime.
However as a lot as consideration was paid to Nickal’s wrestling and de Ridder’s world-class jiu-jitsu, the distinction within the combat actually got here all the way down to putting.
With Nickal wanting labored in his motion, de Ridder actually began specializing in the physique the place he started unloading a sequence of knee strikes. After Nickal threw an ill-fated boxing mixture, de Ridder fired again with a knee on to the midsection and the 29-year-old middleweight crumbled to the canvas.
The loss drops Nickal to 7-1 in his profession however clearly he’s already planning on studying from this expertise with hopes for a greater end result subsequent outing.
