Bo Nickal suffered his first professional defeat in a decisive manner at UFC Des Moines.
Matched against the significantly more experienced Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event, Nickal appeared completely outmatched. The former two-division ONE Champion titleholder dominated Nickal in every facet of the fight, leading to a TKO victory in the second round.
Despite being taken down early by the three-time NCAA wrestling champion, de Ridder skillfully utilized his grappling prowess to reverse the position and secure top control. With far more professional bouts under his belt than Nickal, de Ridder maintained composure throughout, taking calculated risks to escape trouble and landing effective strikes in the standup exchanges.
The end of the bout came when de Ridder targeted Nickal`s body, landing a powerful knee up the middle that caused significant damage and prompted referee Mike Beltran to intervene and stop the fight.
The outcome, widely seen as halting Nickal`s rapid ascent, generated notable discussion and reactions among fellow professional fighters.
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely