UFC Des Moines was undoubtedly an eye-opener for Bo Nickal. He suffered his first and perhaps a very significant defeat to former ONE Championship double champion Reinier de Ridder after getting TKO’d with a knee from the Dutchman. However, Nickal is still young and is looking to work on his holes and his strengths since he’s shared an update about his return to training and signing with a new promotion.
Well, Bo Nickal is still a UFC fighter, but he has signed to a freestyle wrestling promotion, which is the first of its kind. Controversial WWE legend and Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan, whose net worth is reportedly around $25 million, has joined hands with on-screen personality Eric Bischoff and wrestling veteran Izzy Martinez to establish the Real American Freestyle or RAF. And guess what? Hogan has expressed his excitement about having a 3-time NCAA Division I champion in his organization.
“Bo Nickal is a tremendous athlete and one of the most accomplished wrestlers on the planet. Nickal immediately elevates the RAF roster to new heights with his competitiveness and experience,” Hulk Hogan stated in a press release. “When fans attend an RAF event, they know they’re going to see the best of the best on the mat.” Well, Bo Nickal has announced the news as well on social media with an Instagram post. Moreover, he also announced a new sponsorship deal with a clothing brand. “We’re back. I’ll be repping [ScrapLife] on my feet for all my matches.”
Bo Nickal is quite the polarizing figure in the MMA world, and hence, there were some fans who were happy to see him falter in his last fight. He has been one of the fighters that Dana White has pushed heavily, so he already had some pressure on him to perform and deliver. Well, his last opponent believes Nickal can still become a top fighter in the coming years.
Reinier de Ridder shared encouraging words for Bo Nickal
For someone who trashed Khamzat Chimaev and trashed the Chechen-born star’s wrestling skills, the UFC Des Moines loss was a tough experience for Bo Nickal. But for those who have been criticizing and making negative remarks about the middleweight prospect, Reinier de Ridder has nothing to say. Moreover, he suggests Nickal block the noise because de Ridder is pretty certain that the 28-year-old will do big things in the UFC if he can stay humble and keep working on his craft.
“It’s up to him now. I’ve been in this position. I’ve lost. I’ve lost terribly, like pretty much basically like this fight, I lost as well. Now it’s up to him to see if this can be a negative thing or a positive thing.” Reinier de Ridder told ‘MMA Fighting’. “He can make this into a positive thing… He’s a very strong guy. He’s a very strong individual, and 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.”
Well, Bo Nickal appears to have taken as much rest as he wanted after his loss to Reinier de Ridder and is back for some action. While we don’t have anything on his next UFC fight, he’s announced to make his Real American Freestyle debut on August 30, 2025. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for the prospect in the next few years. Let us know your thoughts on Nickal in the comments down below.
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