On May 3, Reinier de Ridder will look to end the undefeated run of Bo Nickal and he’s got plenty of people backing him ahead of fight night.
In Saturday night’s co-main event in Des Moines, ‘The Dutch Knight’ will step back inside the Octagon for the third time since debuting with the promotion last November.
De Ridder has showcased his submission skills both before and after he signed to the UFC but his next test will see him take on a decorated wrestler who is also yet to taste defeat in the promotion’s 185-pound division.
Though Nickal has some impressive finishes under his belt, the 29-year-old has been a divisive figure ever since his debut in March of 2023.
His underwhelming fight with Paul Craig at UFC 309 didn’t help matters and it now seems that a lot of fight fans are pulling for de Ridder in this big middleweight matchup.
Reinier de Ridder says that support has come from ‘every part of the world’ with fans rooting against Bo Nickal
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Reinier de Ridder was asked whether he has received a lot of messages ahead of May 3 from fans who want to see him beat Bo Nickal.
The three-time NCAA Division I national champion would undoubtedly be the target of some sporting rivalry amongst the Iowa fans as a former Pennsylvania State University representative.
However, de Ridder explained that many of the messages are from much further afield as he was surprised to see how many people are hoping that he can put the American away in Des Moines.
The former two-weight titleholder in ONE Championship theorized that Nickal’s potential and the way that he has been pushed could have something to do with it.
“I get that from every part of the world at the moment. I don’t know why, maybe because he is such a prospect or something but people don’t really seem to like him that much but it is what it is.
“At Kill Cliff, there’s a lot of Iowa boys who came here from the wrestling program so they really told me, ‘Go get this guy,’”
De Ridder went on to reveal the reason that many fans have given him when explaining why they dislike Nickal, stating that it’s more of a general vibe than a specific reason.
“People just say, ‘He rubs me the wrong way.’ I don’t know… Must be something like that but he deserves it, he does what he can and he’s won every fight. There’s not much you can blame on him.”
Reinier de Ridder faces a problem that might force him out of his comfort zone at UFC Des Moines
It’s no secret that both Reinier de Ridder and Bo Nickal do their best work when the fight hits the floor but that could mean that they will end up cancelling each other out.
Whilst the American might have the wrestling ability to take his opponent down if he wants to, you’re playing a dangerous game when you go to ground against the submission specialist.
For both men, that means relying on their striking to get the job done and this has been a slight issue for ‘RDR’ in the past.
The only two losses on de Ridder’s record came against Anatoly Malykhin in ONE Championship after he was unable to take the Russian powerhouse down.
It is worth noting that Malykhin is a much larger man than Nickal having also competed at heavyweight so this may not be as much of a factor on May 3.
