Penn State wrestling legend and three-time NCAA national champion Bo Nickal was defeated for the first time in his UFC career to an accomplished grappler and deceptive striker in Reinier de Ridder by way of technical knockout, bringing his record to 7-1 in the UFC.

Nickal saw his first action of the year at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, May 3, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. The Nittany Lion was coming off the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Paul Craig at UFC 309 back in November.

How It Happened

As the fight started, Nickal was a -345 favorite over de Ridder. The Netherlands fighter was 19-2 and the No. 13 ranked middleweight fighter in the UFC coming into Saturday night.

In the first round, both fighters stood in the center of the octagon. The Nittany Lion missed with an early haymaker, getting caught in de Ridder’s clinch. The two broke apart before another clinch was initiated by the dutchman. “Let’s go, Bo” chants rang through the arena as Nickal got a takedown. De Ridder reversed Nickal’s top position after a submission attempt by the Nittany Lion. Nickal got back to his knees and exploded out of the clinch, taking the fight back to standing position before the end of the first round. It was a competitive first round that showcased the two grapplers’ skills in ground positions.

As the second round started, Nickal backed de Ridder up against the cage, forcing a clinch. The two maintained the position throughout the octagon, with multiple knees thrown by the Dutch fighter. Nickal appeared to be hurt after the mid-section onslaught from de Ridder. After a few punches to the head, Nickal suffered one last knee to the liver, which collapsed the Nittany Lion to the canvas. De Ridder celebrated at the center of the octagon after snapping Nickal’s undefeated MMA record with a technical knockout.

What’s Next?

Nickal did not receive a post-fight interview and therefore did not make any statement about what the next step will be in his career.