UFC middleweight prospect Beau Nikkal won his first loss at MMA last Saturday, suffering a devastating TKO loss to De Ridder’s Reinier. He has not separated from experience.
Nikkal met Decker at the co-main event of the UFC’s debut in Des Moines, Iowa. It was a standout wrestling opportunity to improve to 8-0 as a pro and vault to the middleweight rankings, but that was not intended. Instead, Nickal was dominated by De Ridder in Round 1 and finished in the knees in Round 2.
Nikkal’s initial reaction to the loss was undoubtedly short and sweet. However, on Tuesday, prospects appeared at Ariel Helwanishaw, explaining the experience more in detail.
Bo Nikkal on his loss to raise a knight:
“He was generally more rounded, more skilled and more experienced than me.
There’s still a lot of room to improve…it emphasizes more… pic.twitter.com/c82bawsjzg
– Championship Round (@champrds) May 6, 2025
“He’s fine anywhere,” Nikkal said. “He has a lot of knockout finishes and a lot of submissions, he has decent wrestling.
“He was generally more balanced, more skilled and more experienced than me,” he added. “That’s what it’s tied up. He was a better fighter.”
Interestingly, Nikkal continued to admit that he was “exposed” by losses, but vowed to grow from experience.
“There’s still a lot of room for improvement,” he said. “It further emphasizes that it’s being exposed to that way.”
