Reinier de Ridder had initially planned to take some time off following his hard-fought victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi. Those plans quickly shifted after he sat cageside at UFC 319 and watched Khamzat Chimaev dominate Dricus du Plessis to become the new middleweight champion.
What de Ridder expected to be a grueling war turned into a one-sided showcase of wrestling and control from Chimaev.
“Not at all what I thought was going to happen,” de Ridder told MMA Fighting. “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.”
Chimaev racked up 12 takedowns, over 21 minutes of control time, and 529 strikes in a lopsided unanimous decision. For de Ridder, the performance proved two things: Chimaev is a dominant champion, and he is already ready to defend his title sooner than expected.
“100 percent. No hesitation. Send the contract right now. Let’s go,” de Ridder said about fighting Chimaev in October at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi. “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 as I can from fighting as much as I can. If that is an option, I would take it 100 percent.”
While impressed, de Ridder still had criticisms of UFC 319, particularly referee Marc Goddard’s decision to stand the fighters up twice when Chimaev was in full control.
“Khamzat was controlling so well. I do understand that he didn’t want to take too much risk but I would have liked to see him try a bit more with the ground and pound,” de Ridder said. “But what the ref did was totally wrong. Marc Goddard standing them up, that was very bad. Khamzat was in control, he was raining down punches, he was trying. I thought those standups were very bad.”
De Ridder, now 4-0 in the UFC with three finishes, has quickly built momentum in the division. His knockout of Bo Nickal in May and victory over Whittaker in July solidified him as a top contender. Adding to the intrigue, de Ridder actually trained with Chimaev in Sweden a few years ago.
“It was a couple of years ago, I think three or four years ago during COVID,” de Ridder recalled. “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 very interesting.”
Now based at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, de Ridder sharpens his skills alongside elite fighters like Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, two men who gave Chimaev his toughest tests inside the Octagon. That knowledge only boosts de Ridder’s confidence heading into a potential title clash.
“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?”
When it comes to matching up with Chimaev, de Ridder believes his unique skill set can push the new champion in ways du Plessis could not.
“A unique challenge, I think,” de Ridder said. “My skill set is very different from the other guys. If he takes me down, good. If he wants to stand up, good. 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.”
With UFC 321 set for October in Abu Dhabi, Reinier de Ridder is making it clear: he’s ready, willing, and eager to be Chimaev’s first title challenger.
