Why Reinier De Ridder is the Biggest Threat to Khamzat Chimaev – Coach and Former Opponent Break it Down
Newly crowned middleweight king Khamzat Chimaev has a murderers row of contenders ahead of him, Reinier de Ridder is one of those names.
In a dominant yet dull performance at UFC 319 Chimaev took the belt from South African champion Dricus Du Plessis with very little damage sustained. The inactivity of Chimaev has always been a concern so many want to see him return to action hopefully as soon as possible. Now 15-0 with nine UFC wins Chimaev could well be immovable at the top of the 185lbs division. He is not however without a wealth of challengers for his throne.
Contenders at 185 lbs
The division has stockpiled talent at the top and huge matchups are in place to find the number one contender. At the beginning of September Nassourdine Imavov faced fighting nerds elite Caio Borralho at UFC Paris. In front of his home fans Imavov put on a masterful display in a career best performance staking his claim for a shot at Chimaev. The stellar performance capped an amazing night for French MMA.
The other “semi-final” matchup takes place in the main event at UFC Vancouver in mid October. However, injury has sidelined one half of the main event. Anthony Hernandez was forced to withdraw from the event this week and is understandably disappointed as his recent form warrants a big fight with title implications. Brendan Allen is the man to step up off the back of a decision victory over former contender Marvin Vettori in July. This is a huge opportunity for Allen as he is far down the pecking order in the current middleweight rankings. However, the man he faces is in electrifying form.
Reinier de Ridder has been perfect since joining the UFC in November last year with a record of four wins and three of those victories coming by finish. With notable wins over the likes of Bo Nickal and Kevin Holland. Now the Dutch jiu-jitsu wizard is edging closer to a title shot and many believe his style is perfect to wrestle the strap from the Chechen champion. His most recent victory came against former champion Robert Whittaker in a gruelling five round affair back in July.
Gilbert Burns Comments on reinier de ridder
Former opponent of Chimaev, Gilbert Burns spoke about the Dutch contender and his chances in a potential title fight.
“I actually had a jiu-jitsu big camp in Brazil, I talked to Chimaev’s coach, his jiu-jitsu coach, who I fought before. He ask me who do you think is the hardest fight? I think it’s RDR. And then he said, me too, I think it’s RDR.” Burns confirmed he was in agreement with the jiu-jitsu coach. He continued stating “I think he can win. I think his jiu-jitsu is high level. Trained with him a couple of times. Very long, very big. Not sure how he makes middleweight, he’s huge.” Quotes via Buiten De Kooi – MMA Podcast
Do you believe a victory in Vancouver seals the next title shot for Reinier de Ridder and if so does he claim gold?
