Reinier de Ridder didn’t care about the hype.
Bo Nickal’s elite wrestling pedigree may have dominated headlines ahead of UFC Des Moines, but when the two met in the co-main event, de Ridder was determined to test every part of Nickal’s game — including the part most feared.

Rather than shy away from the clinch, de Ridder embraced it.
He initiated grappling exchanges early, even hitting a slick reversal in the first round to end up on top, threatening submissions.

As the fight wore on, he trapped Nickal in similar positions and began targeting the body with punishing knees in round two:

He is maybe [a god of wrestling] but I think this goes for anything in life, especially in fighting, you should look at what you do good, what you do well.

Don’t be distracted by what anybody else brings to the table… It doesn’t matter. My jiu-jitsu, my judo, my wrestling is so good, I can hang with anybody. It doesn’t matter what they bring.

Though he hadn’t yet rewatched the fight, de Ridder reflected on what turned the tide — blending his trademark grappling with striking that clearly wore Nickal down:

It wasn’t too bad, right?

I got him with some good shots.
At a moment in the clinch, I was able to get a little bit of space, get his hips away a little bit with the whizzer then I got him with the knee in the first round.

Second round, I ended up on top but I was surprised with how well he did on bottom.

It was not easy to get him right away. I wasn’t able to posture right away because he moved pretty well.
I was looking for the side choke at a moment but it wasn’t there.

Though best known for his submission game, de Ridder reminded everyone where his striking roots come from:

I’m still Dutch.

I’m still Dutch somewhere deep inside.

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