Nickal, an elite wrestler, took de Ridder down in the first round, but an eventual scramble saw him wind up on his back in a rarity. In the second, de Ridder stayed on his feet against Nickal and started working knees and punches to the body. They started to take their toll, and one final one crumbled Nickal and his unbeaten record.

De Ridder stopped Nickal, and the expectations around a rising contender many considered a future UFC champion

Reinier de Ridder dealt Bo Nickal his first career MMA defeat, scoring a KO at 1:53 of the second round during UFC Fight Night on Saturday. With the win, de Ridder improves his professional record to 20-2, while Nickal falls to 7-1.