Reinier de Ridder had designs on some time off after his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi but now he’s actually targeting a much quicker turnaround with hopes that he could face new middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev sooner than later.
Sitting front and center to watch Chimaev absolutely dominant Dricus du Plessis across five rounds at UFC 319 wasn’t exactly the fight he expected but de Ridder was definitely impressed. Truth be told, de Ridder believed du Plessis would give Chimaev a much
tougher fight, which would then prevent whoever won less of a chance to compete again in the near future.
Instead, Chimaev ran roughshod over du Plessis in a one-sided performance to claim the UFC title.
“Not at all what I thought was going to happen,” de Ridder told MMA Fighting about the fight. “It might not have been the most exciting thing we’ve all ever watched but it’s crazy that he was able to control Dricus like that for five rounds. I was very impressed.
“I do think there were a couple of moments where [Khamzat] really had to work hard. Just because he got the takedowns so quickly and he got it pretty easily. He spent some energy there but while he was on the floor, Dricus was the guy expanding the most energy. Khamzat was just very much in control. I think maybe Dricus was hoping he was going to slow down but nobody is going to slow down when you’re that dominant. It’s not enough to survive. You’ve got to make another guy tired.”
If there was one criticism aimed at Chimaev it was that he didn’t take more risks to potentially put du Plessis away and deliver a finish in his first UFC title fight.
For his part, de Ridder understands why Chimaev came under fire but he also knows du Plessis didn’t do much to prevent what was happening to him. Add to that, de Ridder was very critical towards referee Marc Goddard after he inexplicably stood up the fighters on two different occasions where Chimaev was in complete control and du Plessis was just stuck underneath him with no real chance to escape.
“He kind of did what he always does,” de Ridder said about Chimaev. “The takedowns he did were pretty similar to the one he was successful with in the past. No, I didn’t really learn a lot but at least there’s a little bit more time to study, a lot more takedowns to see that he uses. Not too much new.”
“Khamzat was controlling so well. I do understand that he didn’t want to take too much risk but I would have liked see him try a bit more with the ground and pound and everything. But I think what the ref did was totally wrong. Marc Goddard standing them up, that was very bad. I don’t think that was a good plan at all. Because Khamzat was in control, he was raining down punches, he was trying. I don’t think Marc Goddard should have interfered there. I thought those [standups] were very bad.”
Ultimately, Chimaev got the win and now reigns as the UFC middleweight champion.
Even before the card took place, Chimaev was already plotting out his future with plans to beat du Plessis and then return to action as soon as UFC 321, which takes place on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi.
As much as he initially thought a title fight was unlikely before 2026 was over, de Ridder now believes Chimaev is serious about staying busy and that puts him in a prime position to challenge for the title.
“100 percent. No hesitation. Send the contract right now. Let’s go,” de Ridder said about fighting Chimaev in October. “It’s been so cool, all these quick turnarounds, all these fights. I just want to make the most of this life. I want to make the most of my time in the sport. I’m here in Florida. I might as well reap as much of the benefits I can, from fighting as much as I can. Having this great camp here.
“If that is an option, I would take it 100 percent. If they want me to wait a little longer, good, I’m grinding, I’m here in the gym and I’ll be ready whenever they want me to.”
Since arriving in the UFC, de Ridder has gone 4-0 with three finishes including a knockout over highly touted prospect Bo Nickal back in May. He followed up that performance with a victory over a former champion in Whittaker to vault himself near the top of the rankings in the middleweight division.
As if that’s not enough, de Ridder actually has history with Chimaev after they trained together a few years ago so he’s well aware what kind of fight to expect from the new UFC middleweight champion.
“It was a couple of years ago, I think three or four years ago it was during COVID,” de Ridder explained. “It was cool. I went up there to Stockholm, Sweden and we got a lot of rounds in. We did a lot of wrestling as well. Didn’t do as much jiu-jitsu but it was cool. It was very interesting.”
Another bonus for de Ridder is that he’s recently relocated full-time to Florida where he trains at Kill Cliff FC — a gym that boasts a number of top fighters including Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman.
It just so happens that Burns and Usman also gave Chimaev his most difficult fights since joining the UFC roster and that’s just more information for de Ridder to download before he potentially battles the new champion.
“Two f*cking legends of the sport,” de Ridder said about his teammates. “They have so much knowledge. They’ve been around so long. So I’m very lucky to have them close to me as well. It kind of seems like it’s all going to work out, right?”
Nothing is settled yet but de Ridder revealed that his team has been in contact with the UFC already and he’s just waiting on the official call that he’s getting Chimaev next.
More than anything, de Ridder isn’t just looking to land the fight but he truly believes he’s the best person suited to give Chimaev fits and dethrone him before his title reign ever really gets started.
“A unique challenge, I think,” de Ridder said about how he matches up with Chimaev. “My skill set is very different from the other guys. I’m very much down for the fight. We’re working on it so hopefully it comes together. If he takes me down, good. If he wants to stand up, good. So we’ll see.”
“I’d be interested if he would shoot as quickly on me as he did on Dricus. Maybe he would prefer to strike with me. We’ll see. I think I’m dangerous off my back. I’m dangerous on top. I think I just have a good chance of beating this guy. It would be so cool to get this fight. In Abu Dhabi again. That would be the craziest thing ever. We’ll see.”
