Rising UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal ready to face the toughest test of his career at Des Moines on May 3!
Bo Nickal has been on a rocket ship to the top since switching from wrestling to MMA. As a college wrestler, he was incredible. He won the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy in 2019. Since jumping into the cage, he has been just as dominant. After crushing two opponents on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023, the UFC quickly signed him and put him on the fast track.
He’s now 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the UFC, with impressive wins over Jamie Pickett, Val Woodburn, and Cody Brundage. Most recently, he beat veteran Paul Craig at UFC 300, though some fans grumbled that the fight wasn’t as exciting as they had hoped. Now, he is ready to take a step up in competition against a well known former champion!
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Bo Nickal is ready to face his toughest test yet in the UFC. The promotion just announced that Nickal will fight former ONE Championship double champion Reinier de Ridder on May 3 in Des Moines, Iowa. This matchup brings together two of the most skilled grapplers in the middleweight division, setting up what could be a fascinating chess match on the ground.
Reinier de Ridder brings a whole different level of experience to this fight. The 34-year-old Dutch submission specialist made his name in ONE Championship. He held both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles simultaneously. After losing both belts to Anatoly Malykhin and feeling unhappy with his treatment in ONE, de Ridder made the jump to the UFC in 2024.
He has already made quite a splash with back-to-back submission victories over Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland. His grappling credentials are legit, and he has proven he can hang with high-level UFC competition.
This fight makes a ton of sense for both guys. Nickal gets the ranked opponent he needs to climb the ladder, while de Ridder gets a high-profile matchup that could fast-track him to title contention if he wins. It’s also a perfect stylistic matchup. Nickal’s elite wrestling against de Ridder’s submission-heavy approach. Will Nickal be able to control where the fight goes with his wrestling? Or will de Ridder catch him in one of his signature submissions? This remains to be seen.
The Des Moines card on May 3 is shaping up nicely. Besides Nickal vs. de Ridder, fans will see Cory Sandhagen take on former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event. The card also features the return of fan-favorite brawler Jeremy Stephens against Mason Jones. Moreover, fans will witness veterans Santiago Ponzinibbio and Miesha Tate in separate bouts. For MMA fans, this lineup offers plenty of reasons to grab tickets to the Wells Fargo Arena show!
(Image Credit: Brad Penner – Imagn Images)
