Penn State wrestling great Bo Nickal has set his next UFC Fight.
Nickal (7-0 overall, 4-0 UFC) is scheduled to fight Reinier de Ridder at UFC Fight Night 256, scheduled for May 3 in Des Moines, Iowa.
This will be Nickalโs toughest opponent yet.
De Ridder, 34, has only fought twice in the UFC but previously was an MMA star in ONE. De Ridder, nicknamed โThe Dutch Nightโ (possibly because heโs Dutch), is one of three ONE competitors to win a championship in more than one division, becoming Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champ. Heโs 19-2 overall, 2-0 in the UFC and ranked No. 13 by the UFC in his division.
WHAT A WIN WOULD DO FOR NICKAL
So what would a win here do for Bo Nickal? Well, it would do a lot. A big question surrounding Nickalโs career thus far is the quality of competition heโs faced. None of Nickalโs first seven pro wins have been against ranked opponents, and in his last fightโ a unanimous win over veteran Paul Craig in Novemberโ Nickal was booed by the Madison Square Garden crowd for what they deemed was a boring fight.
If Nickal is able to beat an established winner whoโs in the top 15, it wouldnโt silence every doubter. But it would go a long way toward establishing his legitimacy in the sport.
NICKAL AT PENN STATE
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Bo Nickal
Nickal has things to prove in the UFC but heโs already cemented as one of the best to ever do it for Penn State wrestling. Nickal won three national championships and the 2019 Hodge Trophy (wrestlingโs Heisman) at PSU. His 2018 national title win over Ohio Stateโs Myles Martin led to one of the most famous interviews in Penn State sports history.
