Bo Nickal had a plan. Keep his undefeated record intact and take aim at Khamzat Chimaev for a clash of two middleweights without a loss on their records. In fact, in a video on his YouTube channel, the Penn State wrestling standout claimed, “I don’t think there’s really a guy in the world at 86 kilos that can beat me in wrestling…so you’re going to have to strike with me. I’m probably going to be able to take you down.” All that came crumbling down at UFC Des Moines, when Reinier De Ridder stepped into the Octagon across from Nickal.
Nickal entered the bout riding high on his 7-0 record. Yet against the former ONE double champ, things changed. De Ridder clinched with control, wrestled with patience, and, most notably, broke Nickal down with body shots that landed like freight trains. One knee to the gut, and the wrestling phenom crumpled. From unbeaten prodigy to humbled warrior in one harsh lesson. So what now?
Reinier De Ridder offers Bo Nickal a chance to bounce back with the hope to “train together”
Well, here’s the twist: Reinier De Ridder doesn’t want to gloat. He wants to train with Bo Nickal. Yes, you read that right. The man who just took the shine off Nickal’s hype train now wants to sharpen iron with him.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, ‘The Dutch Knight’ confessed, “I would really like to work with this guy. Yeah. I would really like to work with, because of the, the skills that he brings, it would be awesome to, to train together.”
That’s not the usual post-fight trash talk. It’s an open door. A nod of respect. But even De Ridder knows the politics of gyms can be tricky in the MMA world as he cheekily stated, “I don’t really know if, me being a KillCliff guy now and him being ATT guy is gonna work out, but, yeah, maybe we should do it low key, not tell anybody.”
Reinier de Ridder says he would “really like to work” with Bo Nickal after their fight at #UFCDesMoines:
“Because of the skill set he brings, it would be awesome to train together.”
( @DamonMartin) pic.twitter.com/371TjEHX4h
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 5, 2025
What if the man who handed you your first loss becomes the one who sharpens your next victory? It sounds like something out of a sports film, but it’s not too far from the truth.
Despite his numerous wrestling accolades, Nickal lacks in one crucial aspect: Octagon time. He had his first MMA fight in 2022 and made his UFC debut in 2023. As such, taking on a ‘champ-champ’ from an organization whose talent pool is not that far off from the UFC’s level may have been the reality check he needed.
It wasn’t just the grappling that left him flustered in the fight. It was the striking. The bodywork. The pressure. It was Nickal going down before the fight ever hit a second gear. Now, at 7-1, his path to Khamzat Chimaev has a massive detour. But maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe it’s a chance to grow.
‘The Dutch Knight’ puts the middleweight division on alert with a prediction about Nickal’s future
Reinier De Ridder, the man who handed Nickal that first defeat, isn’t pointing fingers or popping champagne about it. Instead, he’s offering perspective. During the conversation with MMA Fighting, he stated, ”There’s a lot of hype around him. To be honest, if he’s smart, he just puts his phone in another room for two days, and he just spends some time with his wife and kids… Everybody forgets in a couple of days. He’ll be fine.”
That’s not trash talk. That’s recovery advice. After all, just seven fights into his career, Nickal was daring to fly too close to the sun with his remarks about Khamzat Chimaev and other top middleweights in the division. Still, De Ridder doesn’t think Nickal let the moment get to his head.
He confessed that there’s a thin line between arrogance and confidence, one that he has also faltered over a few times in his career. Yet, the wrestling phenom appeared to be “very down-to-earth coming into this fight,” according to ‘The Dutch Knight’
Now, the spotlight turns inward. What will Nickal do next? De Ridder believes that, “I think he’s going to take some time off from planning a fight, and we’ll see him back in six months, and he’s going to tear through a lot of guys.”
Because what’s more compelling than a perfect record? A comeback! So as Bo Nickal steps back into the shadows to regroup, the question hangs heavy in the air, will he come back bruised and bitter, or rebuilt and better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The post Reinier De Ridder Makes Surprising Offer to Bo Nickal After Derailing His Plans for Khamzat Chimaev Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.