Nickal, an elite wrestler, took de Ridder down in the first round, but an eventual scramble saw him wind up on his back in a rarity. In the second, de Ridder stayed on his feet against Nickal and started working knees and punches to the body. They started to take their toll, and one final one crumbled Nickal and his unbeaten record.

Bo Nickal, a top UFC middleweight prospect, suffered his first professional defeat on May 3, 2025, against Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena in Iowa. The former NCAA wrestling champion,