Bo Nickal’s undefeated streak came to a sudden halt Saturday night as Reinier de Ridder delivered a stunning second-round TKO at UFC Des Moines, shaking up the middleweight division and leaving fans and fighters buzzing
Nickal, a decorated collegiate wrestler with a 7-0 record heading into the bout, faced his toughest test yet in de Ridder-a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder now ranked in the UFC’s top 15 The fight started with Nickal controlling the action early, using his wrestling to score a takedown and threaten with ground-and-pound. But de Ridder’s composure and experience showed as he reversed positions and landed key strikes late in the first round
In round two, de Ridder ramped up the pressure, clinching Nickal against the cage before landing a decisive knee to the body that sent Nickal to the canvas. The referee stepped in at 1:53 of the second round, handing Nickal his first professional loss and boosting de Ridder’s UFC record to 3-0
The upset has already sparked debate across the MMA world, with some questioning Nickal’s readiness for elite competition and others praising de Ridder’s well-rounded skill set After the fight, de Ridder called out former champion Sean Strickland, signaling his intent to climb further in the middleweight ranks
With Nickal’s aura of invincibility gone, the UFC middleweight landscape just got a lot more interesting.
