Newly-crowned middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, told the combat sports media he suffered “no injuries” in his title-winning performance against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 last month in Chicago. In fact, “Borz” even teased a quick turnaround for the upcoming UFC 321 pay-per-view (PPV) in Abu Dhabi.
UFC CEO, Dana White, said he would “definitely consider it.”
Unfortunately, Chimaev will not be returning to mixed martial arts (MMA) until next year, which is why top contender, Reinier de Ridder,
agreed to fight Anthony Hernandez Brendan Allen in the UFC Vancouver main event on Oct. 18 in Canada. It may also explain why White was reluctant to pull the trigger on this fight.
“I talked to the UFC,” De Ridder’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told Submission Radio. “If Khamzat would have fought in October, it would have been Reinier de Ridder fighting Khamzat. But Khamzat said he is gonna fight next year. They offered ‘Fluffy’ [Hernandez]. De Ridder said, ‘You know what, I am not gonna wait.’ He takes this fight and now he is gonna fight a very tough fight.”
Hernandez was replaced by Allen after suffering an undisclosed injury.
The 31 year-old Chimaev (15-0) will likely make his first middleweight title defense in early 2026 and if successful, join the promotion’s White House super show in the summer. Sounds fantastical, but White’s connections to U.S. President Donald Trump will likely make any matchup possible.
Well, almost any.
