The undefeated streak of rising prospect Bo Nickal has come to an end, as he was finished by Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines.
The first round between the two featured plenty of grappling exchanges, with de Ridder becoming the first man to put Nickal on his back in the Octagon. De Ridder appeared to get the better of Nickal on the ground with plenty of pressure.
The second round saw the pair quickly go over toward the fence in a clinch battle. De Ridder landed a knee in the first minute of the second round that appeared to land strong. Nickal managed to briefly get back control, but de Ridder got out of it and landed the knees to the body again, noticing they were doing damage.
After another knee, Nickal ate a ton of damage with punches from de Ridder. One more knee dropped Nickal, and the referee stepped right in.
Reinier De Ridder Finishes Bo Nickal At UFC Des Moines
De Ridder has now won four straight and is 3-0 in the UFC. The former ONE champion has previously submitted Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert.
After a pair of wins on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, Nickal made his UFC debut with a first-round finish of Jamie Pickett at UFC 285. The former NCAA champion followed this up with wins over Val Woodburn, Cody Brundage and Paul Craig.