"Brother go 2-3 years in Dagestan" - Fans react as Bo Nickal congratulates Reinier de Ridder for UFC Abu Dhabi win

Fans reacted as Bo Nickal congratulated Reinier de Ridder for his victory at UFC Abu Dhabi.

In the headlining bout of the event, de Ridder faced former champion Robert Whittaker in a five-round middleweight contest. Whittaker seemed to be doing well in the striking and scored the only knockdown of the fight. However, de Ridder utilized his grappling and kickboxing effectively, earning a split-decision win after a hard-fought battle.

Nickal, a middleweight prospect and de Ridder's former opponent, took to X and penned a message for the Dutch fighter:

"Congrats to RDR, that was a great fight. Title shot next. I have a long long way to go but I will keep improving, getting better and maybe we rematch someday."

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Nickal's reaction to de Ridder's victory captured significant attention, especially since de Ridder recently handed Nickal his first professional MMA defeat. The loss followed Nickal's underwhelming unanimous decision win over veteran fighter Paul Craig.

Fans took to the comments section and shared their thoughts on Nickal's post. Many appreciated the display of class and sportsmanship, while some criticized Nickal for his recent performances.

One fan commented:

"Brother go 2-3 years in Dagestan."

Another fan suggested that losing to de Ridder might ultimately benefit Nickal's career:

"In retrospect it'll be the best thing that happened to you."

Another fan pointed out that Nickal could have headlined UFC Abu Dhabi and furthered his quest for the title shot had he defeated de Ridder:

"Could’ve been you, bro."

De Ridder's victory over Whittaker extended his UFC win streak to four, with three of those wins coming by finish. 'The Reaper' was the No.5-ranked middleweight contender heading into their fight, and de Ridder is expected to move into the top five of the division when the rankings are updated.

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Edited by Rajneesh Suhas Reddy