Remember Bo Nickal’s last outing against Paul Craig? The crowd didn’t waste a second before chanting “overrated” after the former three-time NCAA champ struggled to put away the 37-year-old ‘Bear Jew’ in an emphatic fashion. Since that night, the 29-year-old prospect has been on a bit of a redemption arc. He’s been sweating and grinding in the gym, determined to show the hype hasn’t derailed yet. And it looks like the next chapter’s already set. According to his coach, Nickal will be facing Reiner De Ridder at UFC Des Moines.
Nickal called out Reiner De Ridder, recognizing him as a guy with serious achievements outside the UFC. The Dutchman held two belts in ONE Championship and now sits at #13 in the UFC’s middleweight division, making this scrap even more valuable for the American. ‘RDR’ knows exactly what’s at stake too. He didn’t miss the chance to throw a jab at Nickal’s last rough outing, either. Speaking to MMA Junkie, he said, “Let’s make it a wrestling match this time. See if we can get him to shoot a couple of times. Let’s see if I can get his neck.”
De Ridder’s challenge didn’t go unanswered. Nickal recently told Mike Bohn, while training at American Top Team’s headquarters in Coconut Creek, Florida, two simple words: “I’m down for it.” Further, he also made it clear that he’s been locked in for this whole training camp. And now, one of his team members has said that the 29-year-old is ready for whatever comes his way inside Wells Fargo Arena this weekend.
In a recently uploaded YouTube video, ATT BJJ Coach Ailton Barbosa said, “He’s going to show everyone, he knows how to strike. Wrestling, they cannot say anything about that. You know jiu-jitsu, and he can punish with elbow and knee. He will be in your face all night long. Three rounds, five minutes, going to be 15 minutes. I don’t think it’s going to be 15 minutes. But if you go 15 minutes, he’s gonna be in your face for 15 minutes.”
Bo Nickal definitely caught a lot of criticism for his last fight, but you’ve got to give him credit—he showed some solid striking. Now, it’s going to be really interesting to see how he mixes things up and sharpens his overall game to answer his opponent’s challenge. A big win over Reiner De Ridder could finally push him into the middleweight rankings and maybe silence a few doubters along the way.
Madison Square Garden NEW YORK CITY, NY -NOVEMBER 16:Bo Nickal and Paul Craig met in the octagon for a 3-round bout for UFC309 – Jones vs Miocic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, NY Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx spp-en-LoGr-lrg2411164260558_UFCVegas309
However, every fight for a martial artist starts in the gym, and cutting weight is always the first war before the real one. Nickal recently gave a little sneak peek into how he’s training and also handling the cut before stepping inside the cage this weekend.
Bo Nickal reveals his preparation for cutting weight ahead of UFC Des Moines
Bo Nickal hasn’t publicly reported any issues with weight cutting in his MMA career. Competing in the UFC’s middleweight division at 185 pounds, he’s consistently made weight without a hitch. In fact, during his second pro fight on Dana White’s Contender Series, it was his opponent, Zachary Borrego, who missed weight by 1.5 pounds and not him. This time around, the middleweight prospect seems content with his weight-cutting plan, which he’ll begin on Sunday. He’s confident he’ll be ready, no matter how many rounds it takes.
Nickal on his YouTube video, said, “I will start a little bit. I’ll start kinda getting it down right now, but the real cut will start on Sunday. But, right now that’s kind of like bringing it down a little bit before starting my water load. Feeling good, feeling excited. I put a lot work in preparation for this fight so, now it’s the time to have all that work pay off and I’m just looking forward to get out there and compete hard for 15 minutes and however long.”
With UFC Des Moines coming up, A motivated team can make all the difference. So, do you think Bo Nickal will be more ready to face his opponent?
The post “He’s Gonna Be in Your Face” – Bo Nickal’s Coach Serves an Ultimatum to Reinier De Ridder Ahead of UFC Des Moines Showdown appeared first on EssentiallySports.
