Reinier de Ridder is proud to be a mixed martial artist, but he always relies on his world-class grappling skills.
Throughout his 19 wins, the former two-division champion in ONE Championship has secured 13 submission victories. Since joining the UFC, he has already submitted his first two opponents. His upcoming fight at UFC Des Moines on May 3 presents an interesting challenge as he faces Bo Nickal, a highly touted prospect and three-time national wrestling champion.
While Nickal has demonstrated strong grappling in the past, he faced criticism for avoiding takedowns in his recent fight against Paul Craig, which largely remained a striking battle.
“It wasn’t very exciting to watch,” De Ridder commented on Nickal’s last victory. “However, it showed that his striking isn`t bad. He has decent footwork and hits with power, especially with his left overhand. But he didn`t really make a statement in that fight. Maybe he just had an off night, who knows?”
Despite being confident in his striking against Nickal, De Ridder understands that grappling is the core of this matchup.
This fight sets up a clash between a top submission expert in the UFC and a world-class wrestler. After observing Nickal’s reluctance to grapple with Craig, De Ridder anticipates he may need to initiate the grappling exchanges.
“I think I’ll have to make him wrestle,” De Ridder stated. “Based on the Paul Craig fight, I believe he’s quite wary of jiu-jitsu on the ground and getting caught in a submission. So, I think I need to force him to wrestle.”
“I need to close the distance, pressure him, land a few strikes, and I expect he’ll start shooting for takedowns. I believe the fight will be won or lost in the clinch. A significant portion of the fight and exchanges will happen there. I`m focusing on landing good knees and elbows, taking him down with throws and trips, and getting to his back. That’s the plan.”
Often, when two high-level grapplers meet in the UFC, fights can become awkward striking matches as both fighters are hesitant to engage on the ground.
While De Ridder is willing to strike with Nickal, he knows that fans and the UFC are more interested in seeing a grappling contest in this co-main event in May.
“Who wants to see us strike?” De Ridder laughed. “We are both capable strikers, but let’s be honest, let’s have some grappling fun. Like the Demian Maia and Ben Askren fight in the first round – nobody wants to see that.”
Jokes aside, De Ridder insists he is prepared for any approach, but he won’t hesitate to force grappling if Nickal avoids it.
Although known as a submission specialist, De Ridder’s judo background means he’s ready to take Nickal down and throw him if the opportunity arises.
“I think I can take him down. I believe I have a good chance at that too,” De Ridder said. “I’ve consistently trained with high-level wrestlers, especially here in Florida at Kill Cliff FC. I`ve noticed that my upper body work is usually my strength.”
“In many fights, it doesn`t always get to that point. For example, in the Kevin Holland fight, I could have taken him down with a single leg, but my first love is judo, and if I can throw him around a bit, that would be great.”
On paper, De Ridder is taking a greater risk as he is ranked in the top 15 at middleweight, while Nickal is unranked.
Despite hoping for a top-five opponent like Khamzat Chimaev, De Ridder acknowledges the importance of name recognition in the UFC, and Nickal certainly has that.
“I really wanted a top-five opponent, but Bo Nickal is at least a top-five name, right?” De Ridder said. “He’s a very well-known fighter, and defeating him will significantly boost my ranking.”
“I’m very happy with this matchup, and stylistically, it’s going to be exciting. It will be interesting to see who has the superior grappling.”
If De Ridder can defeat Nickal on May 3, he expects to significantly improve his position in the middleweight division.
Current UFC middleweight champion Dricus de Plessis is expected to fight Chimaev later this year, and Nassourdine Imavov is also a contender after his recent victory over Israel Adesanya in February.
Considering the current landscape of the division, De Ridder is uncertain how far a win over Nickal will take him, but he knows it will be a major step forward.
“Many of the top guys have already fought each other,” De Ridder noted. “Who knows? If I can win decisively, maybe by early submission, I think I’ll definitely be in a strong position.”
Marcus Blakely