After a new middleweight champion was crowned at UFC 319, talk quickly turned to what is next.
Several fighters, including Sean Strickland, called out Khamzat Chimaev now that the undefeated star has claimed the gold.
While there are multiple names already in the mix, the next contender in line could be decided in several weeks when the Octagon returns to Paris.
Chimaev stated that he believes this will decide his next opponent when Nassourdine Imavov faces Caio Borralho in the main event.
However, there’s another fighter in the division who a former champion is predicting to be the toughest test for ‘Borz’ at 185 pounds.
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Robert Whittaker predicts that Reinier de Ridder has the best chance of beating Khamzat Chimaev
Ahead of UFC 319, Robert Whittaker was in a great position to give his thoughts on the main event having previously faced both men.
The former champion was unsurprisingly incredibly impressed by what he saw from Khamzat Chimaev, praising his relentless output in particular.
“What we didn’t expect was Chimaev’s ability to do that for 25 minutes,” Whittaker said on his MMArcade Podcast. “That was mindblowing.”
‘The Reaper’ was later asked who he believes will be the toughest fight out there for Chimaev now that he’s the champion.
Whittaker went with another fighter that he has competed against in recent times, having lost a split decision to Reinier de Ridder last month in Abu Dhabi.
“De Ridder. I think de Ridder’s got a good shot because, I think the person that has given Chimaev the closest fight, in my opinion, has been when he fought Gilbert Burns. That was because Chimaev was respectful and cautious of Gilbert’s jiu-jitsu game and de Ridder’s a ground player.
“He’s a tall, bottom player jiu-jitsu guy. Then, if he does respect his ground, like he did in the Burns fight and it becomes a bit of a slugfest, I think de Ridder’s really unconventional. He’s got some annoying attacks and shots that might give Chimaev some grief.”
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Joe Rogan also named Reinier de Ridder as an “interesting” challenge for Khamzat Chimaev
When reacting to the main event during the UFC 319 broadcast, Joe Rogan also mentioned Reinier de Ridder when speaking about what could be next for Khamzat Chimaev.
As Whittaker stated, ‘RDR’ is a submission specialist who, while he’s had success with his striking in the UFC, is happy for fighters to try and test his grappling.
“Reinier de Ridder, in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground, and also his ability to land shots standing, particularly that knee he lands. That is nasty,” Rogan said. “Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.”
De Ridder currently occupies the #5-ranking at middleweight after going 4-0 inside the Octagon.