Bo Nickal’s ‘tough weekend’ might have been needed, says one veteran UFC coach

One well-known head coach has shared his opinion on Bo Nickal’s first pro MMA defeat.

Nickal took on Reinier de Ridder in the UFC Des Moines co-headliner this past Saturday. While a win for Nickal would’ve put him in the top 15 UFC middleweight rankings, it wasn’t meant to be. It was the relentless pressure of de Ridder in the standup that overwhelmed the once unbeaten fighter. Nickal was ultimately stopped with a knee to the body in the second stanza.

In the aftermath of UFC Des Moines, one prominent coach had an uplifting message for Nickal.

RELATED: BO NICKAL SHARES BRIEF WORDS FOLLOWING UFC DES MOINES LOSS TO REINIER DE RIDDER

Bo Nickal’s UFC Des Moines Loss A Positive?

In an Instagram post, Bo Nickal’s coach Mike Brown shared some thoughts on his fighter’s first loss in MMA. He thinks the defeat can end up being a positive experience for Nickal.

“Was a tough weekend but maybe one that a was needed. Things have been moving fast for Bo Nickal and to this point he was been able to make things happen and secure 6 finishes and 7 victories with the limited experience that he has. Bo has all the attributes that you want if your goal is to become a world champion in mixed martial arts.

“He has athleticism, a strong confident mind set, a great family support system, and he started combat sports (specifically wrestling) at a very young age. These are all the boxes that you want to check when developing an elite MMA fighter but the one thing Bo doesn’t have is live fighting cage time and for this there is no substitution.

“This is the fight game and it’s cliche but this is where we learn. This is where we make changes and where we make the biggest gains. I’m confident that this is going to fuel Bo and it will help him direct his focus to another level. To all the critics dog piling, remember Bo is nothing more than a man in an arena trying to support himself and his family.”

Nickal recently issued a brief statement, and he vowed to return. Now, fans wait to see how Nickal will respond to adversity now that the pressure of staying undefeated is gone. Aaron Pico had his share of roadblocks early on in his career and now many believe he could be a future UFC title contender. We’ll see if Nickal follows a similar path.