Quippy Reinier de Ridder Taunts Nassourdine Imavov UFC Paris Main Event As He Awaits Title Crack

Nassourdine Imavov seeped closer to a title track with a UD win at the UFC Fight Night 258 main event in Paris. September 6 was a big night for Imavov, who extended his winning streak and cemented his footing as more than just the No.1-ranked UFC middleweight fighter. However, another man similarly eager on a title track is Reinier de Ridder.

Nassourdine Imavov got his hand raised in front of a home crowd that just works in his favor. Other than the Frenchman from Team MMA Factory, though, there’s the UFC Vancouver booking, AKA UFC Fight Night: de Ridder vs. Hernandez, Live from Rogers Arena, that could have 1/2 names leapfrogging as a top contender.

After undefeated champ Khamzat Chimaev reacted to the all-out action at the UFC Fight Night 258 main event, Reinier de Ridder hence kept the competitive spirit alive and reacted to it. RDR first mocked Imavov and Caio Borralho, only to later laud the two warriors on it.

Just playing, congrats to both warriors. Great fight!

Reinier de Ridder via X (@ReinierdeRidder)

Imavov, 17-4-0, now has a continuous strain of wins over top standouts Joaquin Buckley, Edmen Shahbazyan, Ian Heinisch, former kingpin Israel Adesanya, and Borralho. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old de Ridder is also on a similar 4-0 winning streak since joining the promotion.

The Dutch grappling ace even defeated prolific wrestler and 3-time NCAA Division I national champ Bo Nickal via second-round step-in knee TKO (knee to body) at 1:53 mark. His UFC on ESPN 67, AKA UFC Des Moines win shut out Nickal, who had billed Chimaev would be “not a tough fight”. It was a big blowback to the wrestling community.

Then RDR defeated former champ/Chimaev-foe Robert Whittaker via split decision at UFC on ABC 9. He has set up a perfect trail leading to the Chechen phenom and is eager to duke it out for undisputed gold. Analysts like Joe Rogan also billed that the Dutchman is the perfect skills test that could actually answer Chimaev’s explosive pace.

I fell asleep on the couch, did I miss anything? 😉@ufc

— Reinier de Ridder (@ReinierdeRidder) September 6, 2025

Just playing, congrats to both warriors. Great fight!

— Reinier de Ridder (@ReinierdeRidder) September 6, 2025

Other than RDR, though, another thing coming to bite back at Imavov after Paris is the competitive nature of his dogfight. Fan forums have argued that there was no finish and Borralho kept up the pace, with some even scoring more than R3 for the rival. While he did win and is the #1 logical contender, fans are arguing that Imavov is in serious danger of missing out on his shot.

If RDR or someone else punctuates a highlight finish, they can easily become the first UFC 185-pound title defense for Khamzat Chimaev. If these weren’t enough bad bearings for the Frenchman, a previous rival brought down his win as a pure spatial mismanagement.

Israel Adesanya bills six-inch spatial mistake could have stopped Nassourdine Imavov KO loss

Former champ Israel Adesanya went on an epic first reign with 5-0 defenses of the middleweight gold. Izzy was looking forward to getting back to that glory or cementing himself as a top contender, after losing his gold at UFC 293. A failed bid against Dricus Du Plessis had halted his roll further.

Yet, Nassourdine Imavov played spoiler with an R2 knockout (punches) – 0:30 mark – at UFC Fight Night 250, this past February. The Nigerian-Kiwi phenom argued that had he just been six inches more back, fenceside, a right hand, then a left from Imavov would not have caught him.

A classic “You good vs. Me bad” tale? While he refused to spoil it with more excuses, Izzy also said an eye poke ruined his flow state, which he is famous for as a kickboxer with good, inherent spatial management. Hear from Adesanya himself:

For me, I should have taken my time. I don’t make excuses, and I don’t take anything away from him. I should have reset…I was at the wrong distance, but when you’re in your flow, you’re in your flow. Then the eye poke kind of stopped my flow — like, should have been like, about six inches back, and then that way, when I switch stances… he was smart enough, like, ‘Oh, he’s there,’ and he caught me. It was the left hook on the fence that got me…

Israel Adesanya on his Official YT channel (@@FreeStylebender) | YOUNG MAN RAMBLE EP.4

While he took nothing away from the ‘impressive Frenchman’ and the KO, Adesanya had also pegged Nassourdine Imavov to lose to -135 favorite Borralho at UFC Paris. Despite a win on the card, there are now talks of taping his skill ceiling up to a limit. Imavov is now in a race with those like Fluffy Hernandez and Reinier de Ridder, who may get a title shot. Only time will tell how the UFC middleweight division shuffles from here on out.

ALSO READ: Khamzat Chimaev Calls Out Reinier de Ridder — Who Agrees To UFC 321 Fight in Abu Dhabi