In May, De Ridder received an intriguing matchup against middleweight prospect Bo Nickal. While De Ridder had previously dominated opponents on the mat, a clash with a Division I wrestler presented a great opportunity to showcase his striking.
Rarely, however, was he afforded that opportunity. De Ridder and Nickal engaged in plenty of clinch work, with some grappling exchanges closing out the first round. The second round followed a similar pattern, with the two locked up in the center of the Octagon.
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De Ridder started opening up with short shots inside the clinch, and they started to add up quickly. Mixing short punches with devastating knees to the body, De Ridder visibly hurt Nickal.
Pressed against the side of the Octagon, Nickal started swinging for the fences, but De Ridder evaded and picked his shots wisely before finding the finishing blow. As soon as Nickal squared up, De Ridder blasted a knee to the body that crippled and dropped Nickal to a knee, forcing the referee to step in.
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