Reinier de Ridder Wants Khamzat Chimaev Title Challenge 'ASAP'

De Ridder, who defeated Robert Whittaker just weeks ago at UFC Abu Dhabi, hasn’t slowed down since that victory. Speaking on Submission Radio, he addressed concerns about the quick turnaround but promised he’ll be fully fit by October.

“I’ll be 100 percent ready for October. I’m still in shape, I didn’t stop training. I did eat a little bit too much, but I can adjust that very quickly. I will 100 percent be ready for that opportunity to challenge Chimaev,” de Ridder said.

The hype only grew when Chimaev showed interest. The new champion called de Ridder out on X (formerly Twitter) with “Rdr” and a skull emoji, suggesting he’s ready to put de Ridder’s lights out.

That cryptic challenge didn’t go unnoticed by the Netherlands-born fighter. He quickly replied with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s famous phrase: “ Send location.” Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the official confirmation from UFC CEO Dana White. 

Chimaev just captured the title with his dominant performance against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319, while de Ridder’s stock has never bee n higher following his statement win over Whittaker. So, the timing of this little back-and-forth couldn’t be better for both of them.

Also Read: UFC 319 Fighter Payouts

Robert Whittaker Supports De Ridder as a Legitimate Threat to Chimaev

Before the UFC middleweight title fight, many doubted whether Chimaev could control the ground if the fight stretched to the fifth round. The 31-year-old proved everyone wrong with 21 minutes and 40 seconds of domination against Du Plessis.

But he still has his doubters. Among the skeptics is Whittaker, who suffered defeat against both of them. Having experienced fighting both, he didn’t hesitate to say that De Ridder could trouble the middleweight champion.

Speaking on his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker admitted he hadn’t expected Chimaev to maintain dominance in all five rounds. He was blown away by the performance. However, “The Reaper” believes de Ridder presents a different challenge compared to Chimaev’s past opponents.

At 6’4″ with a background in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, de Ridder matches up well against Chimaev’s wrestling-heavy style. Whittaker thinks the Martial Artist could be a different kind of puzzle for the new king.

However, Chimaev has a history of proving his doubters wrong. So it’s hard to predict the frontrunner right now. But first, let’s wait for the UFC to make the face-off official.