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Reinier de Ridder isn't a fan of how Bo Nickal was treated after their fight.
De Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) handed Nickal (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) his first professional loss at UFC on ESPN 67. Despite having significantly more experience, including holding major MMA championships, De Ridder entered the fight as a sizable underdog against the collegiate wrestling standout.
In the aftermath of the fight, Nickal received heavy criticism from the MMA community for his performance. The term "fraud-checked" was frequently thrown around along with various other digs at the previously undefeated fighter. It's something that doesn't sit right with De Ridder.
"Yeah, I don't like that stuff," De Ridder told MMA Junkie. "It's not a nice part of our culture at the moment that people will hate on somebody online like that. I've said this a couple of times in interviews after the fight, but it's pretty easy for him to get away from. He doesn't need to be on social media. He can just put the phone down for a couple of days and it would have been over. He wouldn't have had to take all the negative stuff in, but I don't believe he did. He got most of it in his mind, but it is what it is. I think he'll be back. He'll be back stronger than ever next time."
Nickal did, in fact, take in a lot of the backlash, and met those negative comments at the same level. Although he was humble in self-reflection of his current skill level, when it came to addressing the comments, he didn't hold back.
"All the negative, for me, I look at that and all I say is just like, suck my d*ck," Nickal said on his Youtube channel after the fight.
De Ridder is already looking ahead to his next challenge as he navigates his way to a title shot. Next up for him is former champion Robert Whittaker, a matchup that came together very quickly after beating Nickal. Should he go out and pick up a win over the former champ, de Ridder knows that will also reflect well on Nickal in the long run.
"If I keep doing well, then it would be good for him as well," De Ridder said. "I think we'll see him maybe in a longer time frame. I hope he takes some time off and really works on specific stuff. But if he gets one win in, everybody's back on the Bo Nickal train ride."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Reiner de Ridder: Bo Nickal's hype train will roll again with one win
Continue reading...
De Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) handed Nickal (7-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) his first professional loss at UFC on ESPN 67. Despite having significantly more experience, including holding major MMA championships, De Ridder entered the fight as a sizable underdog against the collegiate wrestling standout.
In the aftermath of the fight, Nickal received heavy criticism from the MMA community for his performance. The term "fraud-checked" was frequently thrown around along with various other digs at the previously undefeated fighter. It's something that doesn't sit right with De Ridder.
"Yeah, I don't like that stuff," De Ridder told MMA Junkie. "It's not a nice part of our culture at the moment that people will hate on somebody online like that. I've said this a couple of times in interviews after the fight, but it's pretty easy for him to get away from. He doesn't need to be on social media. He can just put the phone down for a couple of days and it would have been over. He wouldn't have had to take all the negative stuff in, but I don't believe he did. He got most of it in his mind, but it is what it is. I think he'll be back. He'll be back stronger than ever next time."
Nickal did, in fact, take in a lot of the backlash, and met those negative comments at the same level. Although he was humble in self-reflection of his current skill level, when it came to addressing the comments, he didn't hold back.
"All the negative, for me, I look at that and all I say is just like, suck my d*ck," Nickal said on his Youtube channel after the fight.
De Ridder is already looking ahead to his next challenge as he navigates his way to a title shot. Next up for him is former champion Robert Whittaker, a matchup that came together very quickly after beating Nickal. Should he go out and pick up a win over the former champ, de Ridder knows that will also reflect well on Nickal in the long run.
"If I keep doing well, then it would be good for him as well," De Ridder said. "I think we'll see him maybe in a longer time frame. I hope he takes some time off and really works on specific stuff. But if he gets one win in, everybody's back on the Bo Nickal train ride."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Reiner de Ridder: Bo Nickal's hype train will roll again with one win
Continue reading...
