Bo Nickal explains why he asked the UFC to fight Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines

Bo Nickal says he asked the UFC to fight Reinier de Ridder next and they granted his request.

Nickal will return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines on May 3 in an intriguing matchup. According to Nickal, he thought de Ridder was the perfect next step up for him. It’s also a chance to prove he is a legit contender at middleweight.

“This is a matchup that I asked for. And I feel like it’s a matchup that’s exciting for a lot of reasons,” Bo Nickal said to Ariel Helwani. “He’s had a lot of success in other organizations and success in the UFC, and it’s a natural step up for me. I want to keep fighting better and better guys. This is a guy who has a proven track record and many, many finishes. It’s an interesting matchup. It’s a similar matchup to the Paul Craig fight, where he’s got more of a jiu-jitsu style. I think, obviously, with him being on a win streak and also having a different type of style on the feet, it will prove to be an interesting fight. I’m pumped up.”

Nickal says he gave the UFC nearly a dozen names but did want to fight de Ridder. However, he says getting fights has gotten harder. Without being ranked he says he’s a high-risk low-reward fight for the top middleweights.

Bo Nickal doesn’t think Reinier de Ridder wanted to fight him

Although Reinier de Ridder did accept the fight against Bo Nickal, the undefeated finger thinks the former ONE Championship double-champ wasn’t initially thrilled with the idea.

“In reality, there are only about half a dozen people I can fight because of what makes sense for my career and my progression. At the end of the day, I asked for this fight. It was a fight that I wanted and I don’t know he wanted it. But, the UFC is the one who makes the decisions. They like it, so we will do it,” Nickal added.

If Nickal can get past de Ridder at UFC Des Moines it could lead to him getting a top-10 opponent next.