Bo Nickal may be a podcast host, but let’s not forget where his other strengths lie – in the octagon. Nickal is gearing up to take on Reinier de Ridder in a much-anticipated middleweight matchup at UFC Des Moines on May 3 at the Wells Fargo Arena. Nickal, who’s a three-time NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion from Penn State, steps into the fight with a perfect 7-0 MMA record, which includes four wins in the UFC. This matchup is his first time facing a ranked opponent, with de Ridder sitting at #13 in the UFC middleweight rankings.

De Ridder, who used to hold titles in two divisions at ONE Championship, is really making waves in the UFC with an impressive professional record of 19-2. Nickal asked for this fight because he sees it as a natural step in his career and a chance to challenge himself against an experienced submission expert. “This is a matchup that I asked for, so I feel like it’s a matchup that’s exciting for a lot of reasons,” said the UFC star. De Ridder, who’s got some serious grappling skills, is really looking forward to testing his mettle against Bo Nickal’s wrestling. It definitely adds an interesting twist to the matchup!

It seems like Nickal’s opponent is already getting on his nerves with something that’s really getting to him. What transpired? On X, WrestlersGrind shared a post, stating, “Bo Nickal’s opponent, Reinier de Ridder, wears an Iowa Wrestling shirt.” Oh, you know… This is definitely going to lead to some issues.

This is definitely a smart move that really connects with fans who know all about those college wrestling rivalries. Nickal, a three-time NCAA champion from Penn State, comes from a program that has had a long history of rivalry with the University of Iowa’s wrestling team. De Ridder’s outfit seemed like a calculated move, playing into that long-standing rivalry to throw Nickal and his fans off balance.

People on social media had a lot to say about the act, with some fans pointing out the irony, especially considering Nickal’s powerful performances against Iowa wrestlers back in his college days. Nevertheless, Nickal has now spoken publicly about the most challenging aspect of his next match.

Bo Nickal is prepping himself up

Just a few days back, Bo Nickal shared with his fans that he was weighing in at about 222.6 lbs. Well, it didn’t get great reactions since he was set to fight Reinier de Ridder. This was incredibly high for a middleweight fighter, who has to get down to 185 lbs (or 186 lbs in non-title fights), and there were worries that no one could help Nickal avoid missing weight.

“I wanted to get a little bit bigger for the weight… Might have went a little too far with it… Now I’m suffering a little bit [from] the consequences of that,” Bo Nickal said about his weight. So, the former multiple-time NCAA Division-1 champion had confidence in himself to handle the weight cut, which was around 37 lbs. After all, he had never missed weight throughout his entire amateur and professional career.

When the first reports about the weigh-ins came out, the UFC star wasn’t on the list. He’d hop on the scale later and see that he dropped from 222.6 lbs to 185.5 lbs. What an impressive achievement by Nickal! It really highlights his dedication and discipline in his craft. After the weigh-ins, Nickal sent out a message. “36lbs down. Hardest part is done. Almost time,” the 29-year-old shared. This is quite a statement!