UFC's Reinier de Ridder Wants Sean Strickland After Beating Bo Nickal

Reinier de Ridder is fresh off handing previously undefeated prospect Bo Nickal the first loss of his MMA career ... and while the 3x NCAA champ was a dangerous opp, RDR is setting his sights a bit further up the rankings!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 34-year-old Dutch fighter after he knocked out Nickal with a brutal knee in the second round of Saturday's UFC Fight Night co-main event ... where we asked de Ridder who he's looking to mix it up with next.

"I want Sean Strickland," RDR said ... "That would be the coolest fight."

De Ridder says he hasn't yet spoken with the UFC about his next fight, but the former champ makes perfect sense.

"I said after the fight, this was the best American wrestler in the division. So let's try the best American striker in the division," RDR said.

Of course, Strickland was the UFC's Middleweight champ until he lost his belt against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 297 in January 2024. After a win over Paulo Costa, Sean rematched Dricus ... but again lost by decision.

While he wasn't champ in the UFC, De Ridder, 3-0 in the promotion, has a super impressive resume. Reinier was a two-division title holder in ONE, sitting atop the Middleweight AND Light Heavyweight divisions.

And, de Ridder, who has beaten Kevin Holland and Bo in his last two, wholeheartedly believes he's got what it takes to wear the belt in Dana White's promotion.