Khamzat Chimaev’s long-standing dream was finally fulfilled as he hoisted the middleweight championship at the UFC 319 headliner. ‘Borz’ completely dominated and outclassed Dricus du Plessis for five rounds to prove he’s the best 185er in the world. That naturally raised the question—who’s next in line to face him? Well, the undefeated phenom had a simple take at the post-fight presser: “I don’t care about these things, bro!” However, Dana White made the scenario a little more entertaining.

The UFC boss, during a recent social media live, announced that Reinier de Ridder would be facing Anthony Hernandez at the UFC Vancouver main event on October 18th. Many found that decision strange, as UFC Paris already has a headliner set for September 6th between Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov, seen as a potential eliminator. But White didn’t elaborate much, only saying both fights carry “massive implications.” Well, as both fight on the frontline, Reinier de Ridder confidently takes a jab at the UFC Paris headliners.  

Reinier De Ridder Calls Out Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho

‘RDR,’ in an interview with MMA Fighting, took a cold but funny shot, stating, “I kind of agree. They can have a title shot against me in a couple of months after.” However, after laughing it off, the Dutchman gave a glimpse into what he’s thinking about the UFC Paris headliner. He added, “Let’s not look too far ahead. Both of them are great fighters. I was looking at Caio’s record, but he hasn’t fought in the last year, I believe. I’m not sure he deserves it, but Imavov is definitely the guy. He deserves it.”

Well, it’s not De Ridder who believes Imavov might be a step ahead of his competition after a stellar knockout against the middleweight legend back in February at UFC Abu Dhabi. That sentiment mostly comes up when discussing who could face Khamzat Chimaev next. But despite ‘Dutchknight’ agreeing that Imavov is a well-deserving contender, he believes he has a strong chance against the current champ.  

‘RDR’ further added, “And there are a lot more guys who deserve it, too. But hopefully, I have enough people in my camp who believe what I believe in, that I have a good shot at making it a great fight. And it would be awesome if they did it in Abu Dhabi.”   

The newly crowned middleweight champion did express his desire to fight at UFC Abu Dhabi. However, that card is already set for UFC 321, where Tom Aspinall will defend his belt against Ciryl Gane. And with De Ridder scheduled to fight in October, there’s little to no chance that ‘RDR’ could make such a quick turnaround, even if he ends up beating ‘Fluffy’ at UFC Vancouver. But that didn’t stop him from getting a callout from Chimaev himself. 

‘Borz’ Calls Out ‘RDR’ on Social Media

As brash as Khamzat Chimaev is with his social media callouts, they’re often interesting and straight to the point—and this one was no different. After dominating Dricus du Plessis, the undefeated Chechen-Emirati champion has set his sights on his next opponent, Reinier de Ridder. He even called him out on X, tagging “RDR” with a skull emoji beside it.

So, what makes the Dutchman so intriguing that Chimaev felt the need to make a social media callout? Maybe it’s because of his last performance against Robert Whittaker—a razor-close decision but an impressive showing nonetheless. However, there could be another reason behind the hype.

Interest in Reinier de Ridder is slowly growing, as many believe he might be the one to challenge Chimaev. Joe Rogan recently mentioned that the Dutchman’s use of knees could be a very interesting weapon against the current 185-pound kingpin. Michael Bisping has echoed similar sentiments. That said, the former two-division ONE champion could definitely be a threat to Chimaev—but he’ll need to prove himself against Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vancouver.

A win alone might not be enough. With backing from fans and now a callout from the champ himself, De Ridder’s chances are solidifying. Will he rise to the challenge? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.