Bo Nickal: How First MMA Setback Shaped Recalibration for Return at UFC 322

Bo Nickal admits that his first MMA setback forced him to re-examine his approach. | \ud83d\udcf7: Getty/UFCThe critics were always within earshot, and their cries only grew louder when hardship struck. A four-time NCAA All-American wrestler and three-time national champion at Penn State University, Bo Nickal started his professional mixed martial arts career with seven consecutive victories, six of them finishes. Shares in his stock were at peak valuation.

Then Reinier de Ridder happened.

A former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, de Ridder bullied and ultimately stopped the previously unbeaten Nickal with a volley of knee strikes in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 67 clash on…