The middleweight division has a new potential title challenger following the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi.
In the main event on July 26, Reinier de Ridder defeated Robert Whittaker to continue his undefeated run since signing to the UFC last year.
It may not have been the statement performance that de Ridder was looking for, with some fans believing that Whittaker deserved the win, but it was still a huge result for the Dutchman.
Dricus du Plessis is set to face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 in his next title defense with the champion’s next challenger set to be decided over the next few months.
While ‘The Dutch Knight’ hopes to have his name called in the near future, he’s been called out by another middleweight who also recently got his hand raised.
- READ MORE: Dricus Du Plessis fires bizarre shot at Shara Magomedov after bloody UFC Abu Dhabi victory
Paulo Costa believes that he would knock Reinier de Ridder out three times in a potential title eliminator
With the likes of Nassourdine Imavov versus Caio Borralho still set to take place, it isn’t clear who will emerge as the next contender in line to face the winner of the UFC 319 main event.
His recent form may say otherwise but some have made the point that Paulo Costa could be in the conversation for one specific reason.
The Brazilian’s UFC 318 win over Roman Kopylov didn’t get fans out of their seats but Costa’s rivalry with Khamzat Chimaev could work in his favor if the challenger wins the middleweight title on August 16.
‘Borrachinha’ posted several reactions to the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, drawing comparisons between Dricus du Plessis and Reinier de Ridder’s styles.
He also criticized the Dutchman’s five-round battle with Robert Whittaker and made a bold prediction about what would happen if he locked horns with ‘RDR’.
“With all due respect, I would knock out de Ridder 3 x wich round. All that said congrats for your win today, despite [a] bad fight.”
Several big middleweight matchups will change the landscape of the division in the coming months
With UFC 318 and UFC Abu Dhabi now in the books, we still have several significant middleweight matchups coming up in the next few months that will have a big impact on the division.
Of course, the upcoming title fight in Chicago is the biggest of the bunch and it could also impact who the next challenger will be in the case that the winner has a preferred opponent.
We also have the following bouts all set to take place in the near future, which could cause a big reshuffle in the rankings:
- Roman Dolidze (#8) vs Anthony Hernandez (#9) – UFC Vegas 109, August 9
- Jared Cannonier (#7) vs Michael ‘Venom’ Page – UFC 319, August 16
- Nassourdine Imavov (#1) vs Caio Borralho (#6) – UFC Paris, September 6