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Khamzat Chimaev sustained minimal damage in his dominant victory over Dricus Du Plessis at the UFC 319 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner in Chicago last weekend. Hence, Chimaev even opted to make his first title defense at the upcoming UFC 321 event in Abu Dhabi. He has Reinier de Ridder in mind for it.
The ‘Borz’ ascended to 15-0 pro record with a resounding victory by unanimous decision over Du Plessis. He dethroned the 185-pound guard with his formidable wrestling and gave minimal space to inflict damage. Post-fight, Khamzat Chimaev expressed interest in a quick turnaround. It will be at UFC 321 on October 25.
UFC CEO Dana White also seems interested in the matter and might even give his nod, happy with the performance and due to the fact that Chiamev received no injuries. Chimaev’s two ballot victories on joining up in July 2020, just 10 days apart, already marked the fastest stretch in competition. He also boasts the fastest triple-fight streak at 66 days and now wants to have another quick turnaround as champ.
Rdr ☠️
— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) August 19, 2025
For this, he has issued the first callout to Dutchman Reinier de Ridder. On Monday, taking to X, the new champ mentioned RDR, the #5-ranked contender who will soon be #6, as a potential challenger.
Chimaev’s toughest test at 185 lbs is expected to be De Ridder, a former two-division champion in ONE Championship, due to his grappling. The good thing is that the middleweight top contender seems ready for it as well.
Reinier de Ridder agrees to fight champ in Abu Dhabi
Reinier de Ridder is currently projected to be the biggest skills test for Chimaev and a proper opposition to his reign. RDR is a good grappling ace and can hunt the lower torso much like Borz. He is off a fresh domination of three-time NCAA Division I national champ Bo Nickal, who happens to be POTUS Donald Trump’s golfing buddy and one of his favorite fighters.
de Ridder then defeated the former champ Robert Whittaker in his first-ever headliner spot this July. With Khamzat Chimaev posing up for a quick defense, top contenders are scrambling to make that case. The winner of the bout between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho, who will face off on September 5 in Paris, may be eliminated from the competition due to the rapid schedule change.
The winner of the Imavov-Borralho bout at UFC Paris is not likely to see much of a recovery, barring a swift and decisive victory in the opening round that leaves the winner with minimal or no damage. RDR, though, will be ready.
Send me the contract…I already faced the best American wrestler; I’m curious to see how I can do against the best Caucasus-area wrestler.
Reinier de Ridder to Damon Martin for MMAFighting on SBN
The destruction of Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines marked a serious blowback to the Stateside wrestling community. Now, the Dutch grappler wants to see how he handles it against the infamous mountainside wrestling game.
ALSO READ: Khamzat Chimaev vs Khabib: Who Is the Better Wrestler?
