"Won't be undefeated anymore" - Fans react to Bo Nickal reportedly signing next fight against UFC newcomer with 13 submission wins in MMA career

Bo Nickal has reportedly signed his next UFC fight against a relatively recent UFC joinee who boasts 13 MMA submission victories. Fans soon chimed in on it, with many warning that the upcoming fight could mark Nickal's first professional mixed martial arts defeat.

As reported by The Sporting News' Val Dewar, Nickal has signed up for his next octagon appearance, which would see him take on grappling savant Reinier de Ridder. The exact location and date for the fight haven't been confirmed yet, and the UFC hasn't announced the matchup.

Fans have weighed in on the reported fight in the comments section of the above post. For a long time, many in the combat sports community have been calling for Nickal to be booked against elite opponents. On that note, several netizens have now hailed his supposed booking against former two-division ONE Championship titleholder de Ridder as a great move.

Reacting to the aforementioned X post, a fan wrote:

"It's about damn time"

Another X user alluded to both fighters' similarly fearsome grappling prowess and opined:

"It's the same person"

One observer predicted Nickal to emerge victorious in round three:

"Nickal Round 3"

Alternatively, many other fans underscored that the Dutch combatant is a dangerous matchup for Nickal and that the latter is still relatively inexperienced in MMA to take on such a mammoth challenge. One fan indicated that Nickal would experience his first MMA loss:

"Bye bye Bo and his zero"

Another observer similarly asserted:

"won't be undefeated anymore"

Check out screenshots of a few more reactions below:

Screenshots of tweets

---

Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal: A look at their recent form

The 34-year-old Reinier de Ridder (19-2 MMA) is a former ONE Championship middleweight and light heavyweight champion. Presently, he's ranked No.15 in the official UFC middleweight rankings. 'The Dutch Knight' has lost just twice in his MMA career, both times to Anatoly Malykhin. He's currently on a three-fight win streak.

The UFC newcomer has competed just twice inside the octagon and won both times. He's beheld as a dangerous grappler, boasting 13 submission wins to his name in MMA. He last submitted Kevin Holland earlier this year.

On the other hand, the 29-year-old Bo Nickal (7-0 MMA) is undefeated as a professional MMA fighter. The DWCS (Dana White's Contender Series) alum has competed in four UFC fights, including his main roster debut, and won each of them.

In his most recent octagon outing, he took on grappling wizard Paul Craig late last year. He outpointed Craig in a matchup that some fans criticized for the supposed lack of action. Nickal is currently ranked outside the top 15 of the UFC middleweight division.

Both de Ridder and Nickal are viewed as deft grapplers and rising stars in the UFC's 185-pound division- with some even deeming them as potential future champions, more so in Nickal's case.