Why Bo Nickal specifically requested Reinier de Ridder?

Bo Nickal sees Reinier de Ridder as a logical step up in the competition.

Nikkal (7-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will take on former one Championship title holder De Ridder (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in a three-round middleweight match on May 3 at the UFC at ESPN 67 from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

Nikkal revealed that he would particularly like to fight De Ridar.

“This is the matchup I wanted, so I feel it’s an exciting matchup for a number of reasons,” Nikkal told The Ariel Helwani Show. “He has achieved a lot of success in other organizations and has achieved success in the UFC, which is what I want to continue fighting better people.

“It has a proven track record and has a lot of finishes.

Nickal is away from his biggest victory so far, a unanimous decision that ranked previously ranked Light Headyweight Paul Craig at UFC 309.

“There are people who want to fight me, there are a lot of people who don’t,” Nikkal said. “It seems like someone who wants to fight me, and that’s all the advantages for them.

“The reality is, I want this fight because what doesn’t make sense in my career and my progress, but I don’t know he likes it.

For more information about the card, see the MMA Junkie Event Hub for UFC on ESPN 67.