UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal drew motivation from Reinier de Ridder’s win at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder continued his quick ascent in the UFC middleweight division with an instant classic fight at UFC Abu Dhabi.
De Ridder and former titleholder Robert Whittaker had a back-and-forth war in one of the best fights of the year at UFC Abu Dhabi. Despite getting dropped with a big Whittaker right hand in Round 2, De Ridder was able to shake off the cobwebs and grind to a decision victory.
After UFC Abu Dhabi, De Ridder garnered rave reviews from around MMA, including from one of his former rivals.
Bo Nickal responds to Reinier de Ridder’s win at UFC Abu Dhabi as he calls for rematch
Before outpointing Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi, De Ridder earned a shocking victory over the previously unbeaten Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines. De Ridder knocked out Nickal and handed the former NCAA Division I wrestling superstar the first setback of his MMA career.
In a recent post to X, Nickal congratulated de Ridder on his victory while calling him out for a rematch.
“Congrats to RDR, that was a great fight. Title shot next,” Nickal tweeted.
“I have a long, long way to go but I will keep improving, getting better and maybe we rematch someday.”
Despite Nickal’s plea for the UFC to grant De Ridder the next middleweight title shot, the former ONE champ will have to wait for the result of the upcoming UFC 319 headliner. Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov will clash in a No. 1 contender bout at UFC Paris later this year.
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Reinier de Ridder’s next fight up in the air after UFC Abu Dhabi
De Ridder’s next opponent could be a former UFC champion who is currently indefinitely suspended; Sean Strickland. Strickland, who hasn’t fought since a title rematch loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312, was indefinitely suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for storming the cage at a Tuff-N-Uff event earlier this year.
De Ridder will almost certainly get a Top 5 opponent for his next fight after defeating Whittaker on Saturday. Israel Adesanya is another intriguing option, but Adesanya is coming off of three-straight losses to Strickland, Imavov, and du Plessis.
As for Nickal’s UFC return timeline, the matchmakers haven’t announced his return date and opponent, as of this writing. In the meantime, Nickal will return to freestyle wrestling later this year as he awaits his next UFC assignment.
Du Plessis will defend his UFC middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev next month at UFC 319. During the UFC Abu Dhabi broadcast, Aaron Pico vs. Lerone Murphy was announced for the UFC 319 co-main event.