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Bo Nickal opens up about 'eye-opening' first UFC loss: 'More than being overconfident, it was being naive'

Related Topics: Bo Nickal, Ariel Helwani, UFC

Bo Nickal isn't shying away from the first loss of his professional career at UFC Des Moines.

A previously unbeaten and much-hyped middleweight prospect, Nickal entered Saturday's fight against Reinier de Ridder as a big betting favorite, however the former ONE Championship two-division king had other plans, pummeling Nickal's body with nasty clinch strikes to deliver a shocking second-round knockout.

Nickal spoke publicly for the first time since his loss on Tuesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show."

"More than anything, I just appreciate the love and support I'm getting from a ton of people," he said.