UFC veteran Matt Brown argues that while Bo Nickal clearly has areas for improvement, his recent loss to Reinier de Ridder shouldn`t be seen as proof that he was an undeserving or overhyped fighter.
Brown expressed frustration with the commentary surrounding Nickal`s defeat at UFC Des Moines last Saturday. Nickal, previously undefeated at 7-0, suffered his first professional loss, being stopped by a powerful body shot from the significantly more experienced de Ridder in the second round after struggling during the fight.
Expressing his annoyance on “The Fighter vs. The Writer” podcast, Brown criticized the narrative of “fraud check” surrounding Nickal, saying, It really frustrated me and almost upset me hearing all these people say ‘fraud check.’ I’m sure you’ve seen this. I’m like, get the f*ck out of here.
Brown emphasized the skill of Nickal`s opponent: Give credit where credit is due: de Ridder looked awesome. He looked great. He looked like a two-weight world champion coming from ONE should look like. He looked like a guy that has a bright future and has a lot of big things to do. Bo Nickal looked like a guy fighting a two-weight world champion he was just not ready for yet. That’s the downside of a guy like Bo Nickal coming into the UFC with very little experience and being tossed to the wolves… De Ridder, we finally found out where Bo Nickal needs to improve. He’s not a fraud at all. He’s going to be a top five guy in the future, I can almost guarantee it.
Brown feels that focusing solely on Nickal`s performance overlooks the impressive display and effective strategy employed by de Ridder to secure the win.
Although primarily known for his grappling, de Ridder has significantly developed his striking. This was evident in the fight as he repeatedly targeted Nickal`s body. This dedication paid off decisively when a knee to the midsection in the second round finished the fight, ending the unbeaten record of the three-time NCAA wrestling champion.
Brown praised de Ridder, stating, Reinier de Ridder is a great fighter. He’s had the experience advantage. He knows how to fight. Bo Nickal is learning how to fight. Bo Nickal knows how to wrestle… If this was a wrestling match, Bo Nickal tech falls him or pins him within a period most likely. But de Ridder is well-rounded, and I think that’s what showed the most was you saw the transitions from one thing to another, one art to another, and you saw a guy that knew how to handle every position.
Brown concluded, regarding Nickal, Whereas Bo Nickal, if you want to say exposed or anything, it exposed that he is still a rookie. He is still a beginner in this sport. He still has a ways to go.
It could be argued that Nickal contributed to the backlash by making confident predictions about his future before fully establishing himself against top competition.
Soon after his loss, past statements from Nickal about potentially beating fighters like Khamzat Chimaev, or his claim that de Ridder would only grapple to avoid striking, were widely recirculated and used against him.
However, Brown acknowledged that Nickal was likely just responding to the high expectations placed upon him since transitioning from wrestling to MMA. Furthermore, Brown believes that this early career loss to de Ridder could ultimately be more beneficial for Nickal`s development than continuing with less challenging fights.
Brown reiterated his stance: Bo Nickal, stop with the fraud check bullshit. Stop with he was exposed or overrated or overhyped, the hype train ended, all this bullshit. Bo Nickal, if he wants to, he will be back and he will be top five.
He added, That really frustrated me when people say that, and I think that a lot of people do it for headlines… But the fact is, Bo Nickal’s hype is truthful, and I believe it’s going to come to fruition if he sticks at it. I think this might be the best thing to happen to him, to be honest … maybe he fell into the hype train himself. Maybe he wasn’t pushing himself… This might be the best thing to happen to him.
