Calls continued to mount against Bo Nickal, who dropped down in the second round when Reinier de Ridder hit him with a knee during a clinch. Needless to say, liver shots are some of the most painful things to get hit with. Even fighters like Brock Lesnar, Matt Hamill (the only man claiming a win over Jon Jones, even though it was a win by DQ), and Kai Kara-France had to go down because of a shot to the liver. 

But in Nickal’s case, the backlash online was unusually severe. Critics flooded social media, not just questioning his durability but also calling into doubt his legitimacy as a UFC contender. But the fighting community wasn’t content with it. They kept on bashing the middleweight contender for losing. Nevertheless, there were a few fighters who stood up for Nickal. And one of them was the rising welterweight star, Oban Elliott. The sheer volume of the criticism marked a rare moment when hype turned into hostility in no time. Yet amidst the noise, several notable voices offered a more grounded take.

Taking to X, Elliott pointed out that Nickal didn’t lose to just another MMA contender. He lost to someone who used to rule two different divisions at ONE Championship, and faced defeat at the hands of Anatoly Malykhin. He wrote, “Everyone slating Bo Nickal as if he hasn’t just fought the now 20-2 RDR, former ONE two weight champion with his only losses coming from Malykhin, current ONE two weight champion (and former 3 weight champion), in his 8th MMA fight. You guys are crazy lol.” 

But being a Fighting Nerd, Caio Borralho had his opinions well calculated. He didn’t really agree with ‘The Welsh Gangster’s claims that people were trashing Nickal because of his defeat. Commenting on an IG post (by The Fight Bubble) highlighting Elliott’s tweet, ‘The Natural’ wrote, “Everyone is not slating him because of his loss. It’s just because he runs his mouth like he is the one! And we all know there is levels to this game. I hope he learned his lesson and stop talking delusional s— 🤦🏽‍♂️.” 

Of course, Nickal was pretty confident before stepping into the Octagon against the former ONE champion. He previously claimed that it was a matchup that he had asked for. On top of that, he boldly declared, “There’s a chance, you know. I may want to keep this fight on the feet, too.” But losing with a strike wasn’t something that made him hold true to his words. Nevertheless, Nickal did receive a few words of support from Henry Cejudo.

Bo Nickal receives advice from Henry Cejudo after losing to Reinier de Ridder

Soon after the former NCAA wrestling champion dropped to his knees, ‘Triple C’ tweeted, “The wrestling world has taken a hit today. Keep your head up [Bo Nickal] this is not the end.” However, this outcome was similar to Cejudo’s previous battle against Demetrious Johnson. Well, ‘Mighty Mouse’ was the man who snatched away Cejudo’s undefeated status and sent him on a 2-fight losing streak. But he bounced back and, 2 fights later, defeated Johnson to claim the flyweight championship belt. 

Cejudo continued, “I got finished by Demetrious Johnson with a similar body shot and I went on to avenge that loss and become champion. You are capable of doing the same. Get back on your horse brother #UFCDesMoines.” And that seemed to have resonated pretty deeply with Nickal. Cejudo had suffered a TKO from a body shot in 2016. And then he bounced back and eventually beat Johnson in a razor-close decision to claim the flyweight title in 2018.

No doubt, it was a wrestler vs. grappler situation at UFC Des Moines. But losing by a TKO seemed to have sent Nickal down a spiral. Nevertheless, he didn’t lose hope despite the defeat. This was more than a clash of styles; it was a test of adaptability and strategic maturity. And though the loss stung, Nickal’s mindset post-fight was telling. “Grateful for the highs and lows., “Grateful for the highs and lows. I’ll be back.”

What do you think of the battle between Nickal and de Ridder? Do you believe Nickal could have won had he used a different strategy? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.