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 Nickal’s toughest opponent yet.
De Ridder, 34, has only fought twice in the UFC but previously was an MMA star in ONE. De Ridder, nicknamed “The Dutch Night” (possibly because he’s Dutch), is one of three ONE competitors to win a championship in more than one division, becoming Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champ. He’s 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 Nickal’s career thus far is the quality of competition he’s faced. None of Nickal’s first seven pro wins have been against ranked opponents, and in his last fight— a unanimous win over veteran Paul Craig in November— Nickal was booed by the Madison Square Garden crowd for what they deemed was a boring fight.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.If Nickal is able to beat an established winner who’s in the top 15, it wouldn’t 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 he’s 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 (wrestling’s Heisman) at PSU. His 2018 national title win over Ohio State’s Myles Martin led to one of the most famous interviews in Penn State sports history.
