Reinier de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a seasoned veteran of combat sports. After holding the ONE Middleweight (205 lbs) and Light Heavyweight (225 lbs) Championships, he turned his attention to MMA’s No. 1 organization, the UFC.
Since moving from Chatri Sityodtong’s promotion to Dana White’s company, Reinier de Ridder, also known as RDR, hasn’t missed even a fraction of a step in his quest to become one of the all-time greats in the world of competitive violence. From his UFC promotional debut on Nov. 9 of last year up to now, this man has been on another level.
Saturday night, during the UFC’s first visit to the state of Iowa in close to a quarter of a century, Bo Nickal (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a 2022 graduate of Contender Series who had to set foot in the UFC Apex’s Octagon twice before securing his UFC contract, served as de Ridder’s opposition.
In the run-up to UFC Des Moines over the weekend, the pairing of RDR, the No. 13 contender at middleweight, with Bo Nickal had many across the country and around the world believing that it would be the latter’s toughest test of his young MMA career. Anybody who turned on ESPN or streamed UFC Des Moines on ESPN+ stateside saw quite the show in the co-headlining affair.
Reinier de Ridder Brings Fireworks to UFC Des Moines Co-Main Event
Although the co-main event between Reinier de Ridder and Bo Nickal was advertised as a three-round contest, the former made certain that scorecards wouldn’t become a factor into the decision. During the opening round of the bout, RDR put Nickal in the clinch and threatened a takedown, only for the latter to break away.
A second clinch resulted in de Ridder landing a knee before Nickal flipped the script and landed a takedown, securing top position on the ground. Reinier de Ridder’s ground game proved tough in the early going of the bout, reversing position to take top mount.
By the end of round one, Reinier de Ridder accumulated north of three minutes in ground control time, making it next to impossible for Bo Nickal to get anything going.
Reinier de Ridder Turns it Up in Round Two
Right from the command to fight in the second five minutes, RDR’s mission statement was clear: Keep up the intensity. de Ridder became the aggressor in the second round, putting him in the clinch and scoring a knee to the body.
Throughout the middle period, RDR landed a variety of strikes, punctuated by several knees to the body, emptying his opponent’s gas tank. He connected on 10 of 11 knee strikes during round two, including a devastating shot to put Bo Nickal down and out in a minute and 53 seconds.
Saturday’s win marked Reinier de Ridder’s fourth in a row since leaving ONE Championship’s active roster in 2024. He’s not even six months removed from his UFC debut and RDR has just about opened the door of the top-10 at 185 lbs.
Reinier de Ridder Pockets $50,000 Bonus After Victory
Following the fight on Saturday night, Reinier de Ridder was interviewed by Michael Bisping on the telecast.
“I was just going to say I’ve been spending so much time in the US, I just wanted to check if I’m still Dutch,” Reinier de Ridder began, referencing his finish in the fight, “so I tried them knees and they’re still working, so…” Not only are de Ridder’s knees still a force to be reckoned with, they’re also the reason why his wallet got heavier this past weekend.
During the post-fight press conference on Saturday, RDR was one of four contestants to be awarded a $50,000 (USD) bonus for his efforts in the famed Octagon, securing the Performance of the Night Award. It was de Ridder’s first bonus since entering the UFC late last fall.
Final Thoughts
The fact that Reinier de Ridder has been able to go 3-for-3 in the UFC has been no surprise. When RDR was signed by the UFC, the promotion knew full well that they’d be getting a beast at middleweight.
In the aftermath of de Ridder giving Bo Nickal his first career defeat in the sport, one would expect for the competition to get even tougher for him in his next fight and future fights in the UFC. Given that Reinier de Ridder already has two titles on his mantle, he’s acclimated to high-profile fights.
Whoever happens to be coming up next for de Ridder, there’s one certainty: His opponent should immediately go into film study once the fight is announced. He’ll need every second he can afford to look back at tape of his past fights to begin to formulate a gameplan because Reinier de Ridder is a challenging case to solve.
