A new rivalry could be brewing at middleweight as Reinier de Ridder goes back-and-forth with a fellow contender after UFC Abu Dhabi.
De Ridder was among the biggest winners to emerge from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in the Middle East, as the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder continued his charge in his new promotion.
In less than a year, ‘The Dutch Night’ has already won four straight contests inside the Octagon, and his latest on Saturday night over Robert Whittaker was his most important to date.
But not everybody was impressed…
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Reinier de Ridder reacts to Paulo Costa’s knockout prediction
Paulo Costa was quick to react to De Ridder’s UFC Abu Dhabi win over Whittaker. The charismatic Brazilian is not one to mince his words, and that was on display again as Costa claimed he would knock out De Ridder three times per round.
The Dutch contender was alerted to his fellow contender’s remarks on social media during his post-fight press conference. In response, he brought up Costa’s defeat to Whittaker at UFC 298 in February 2024.
“There’s always a hater out there,” De Ridder said.
“Did Paulo Costa never fight Whittaker? What happened?” he asked, before laughing.
Costa was outpointed by ‘The Reaper’ in a memorable three-round war in Anaheim. After losing his next fight to Sean Strickland, the Brazilian recently bounced back by beating Roman Kopylov at UFC 318.
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Paulo Costa is not in Reinier de Ridder’s immediate plans
While the pair’s exchange could set up a future clash inside the Octagon, De Ridder currently has his sights set elsewhere.
In the immediate aftermath of his victory over Whittaker, ‘The Dutch Knight’ staked his claim for a shot at the winner of Dricus du Plessis’ title defense against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
If he does win the belt, De Ridder’s “dream” first bout as champion would not be a showdown with Costa.
“Crazy year. Four fights, three finishes, almost finished Rob. Life is good,” De Ridder said on ESPN’s UFC Fight Night Post Show.
“I’m a top-five guy now. So, yeah, I would say Dricus, I would say Khamzat (next). … I’m thinking of Dricus (winning at UFC 319). He has the Dutch genes, like me. I think Dricus, but we’ll see.
“(Israel) Adesanya would also be nice. That is a dream matchup,” De Ridder continued. “That would be a nice first title defense.”