Reinier de Ridder shatters Bo Nickal's undefeated record in UFC Des Moines upset

De Ridder Stops Nickal With Brutal Body Shot

Despite de Ridder's sizeable edge in MMA experience over Nickal, the 34-year-old entered UFC De Moines as one of the bigger underdogs on the card.

It didn't take long for the significantly larger de Ridder to initiate a clinch before he was forced back to the cage, and after an extended period where both men fought for position it was Nickal who managed to bring things to the mat.

A submission attempt from Nickal allowed de Ridder to scramble into top position before the two men returned to their feet in the final seconds of the first round. The second frame once again opened with an extended clinch on the fence, but after the pair moved to the center of the cage "RDR" landed a couple of solid knees that appeared to rattle his opponent.

Sensing that he had Nickal hurt, de Ridder began to apply pressure and continue landing knees until a perfectly-placed shot to the body folded Nickal to give the formerly-undefeated fighter his first MMA loss and add to the Dutch middleweight's perfect UFC record.

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