Who’s Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent? That’s been the question ever since ‘Borz’ dominated Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319. Nassourdine Imavov became the frontrunner for the title shot after he defeated Caio Borralho at UFC Paris. But nothing got the stamp because of how the middleweight division’s dynamics have shifted. However, Dana White seems interested in this weekend’s headliner before deciding the 185-pound king’s next move.

On October 18, Reinier de Ridder returns to Rogers Arena in Vancouver to face Brendan Allen. Originally, Anthony Hernandez was scheduled to fight the Dutchman at this event, but a last-minute injury unfortunately forced him to withdraw. After ‘Fluffy’ pulled out of such an important main event, many fans assumed the opportunity for this fight to be a title eliminator of sorts was gone. Still, the UFC CEO appears very interested in watching how this bout unfolds to determine who will face Khamzat Chimaev in the Paramount era. 

Dana White eyes UFC Vancouver main event for Khamzat Chimaev’s next opponent

At the DWCS 86 post-fight presser, White said, “Let’s see how the fight plays out. I don’t know. We did talk about him today, though. We did talk about Khamzat today. You know. So, we are talking about everyone today. So, we will see, before we start looking at next year, and obviously the Paramount launch, the White House fight, a lot of things are going to depend on how the end of this year plays out.” 

Going by the head honcho’s words, if Reinier de Ridder makes a strong statement at the UFC Vancouver main event, he could be next in line for the title shot. That means if there’s a spectacular knockout this weekend, Nassourdine Imavov might unfortunately have to wait, even after knocking out Israel Adesanya and extending his winning streak to five. And there’s still a big question whether fans would actually like it if ‘RDR’ gets to face Chimaev next year ahead of the Frenchman.

Speaking after UFC Paris, Imavov had said, “I’m not even worried. You have to realize, no one did what I did over the last year — five opponents, five top-10 guys, two finishes. No one did that.”

But the Frenchman’s confidence might be misplaced, going by what de Ridder said on media day – “Yeah, Imavov is not getting the shot — that’s why they haven’t announced it.”

If that wasn’t enough, just look at how the champion acknowledged ‘RDR’ after he beat Whittaker. He mentioned de Ridder by ‘Rdr’ on X, and wrote, “I’m gonna make you look like white belt habibi 😂😂😂😂”

While questions still surround the reigning middleweight champion’s next opponent, it seems he has already chosen who he wants next. And it’s actually nothing short of a superfight!   

‘Borz’ wants to face ‘Poatan’ next, middleweight to be in limbo?

Khamzat Chimaev and Alex Pereira have exchanged shots on multiple occasions. However, the feud simmered down after ‘Poatan’ lost the light heavyweight belt at UFC 313. Then, after the Brazilian regained it by brutally knocking out Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320, that fire flared up again. Without hesitation, ‘Borz’ posted on X, “@AlexPereiraUFC Congrats, now we need to finish our business.” And now, he has doubled down on that statement.  

In an interview with the Badaev Podcast, Chimaev said, “If you ask me, of course, I would love to fight for the second belt. It’s no secret, the guy who’s got the belt at 205 pounds now is a very good matchup for me, except for [if] I should get reckless standing with him. They say he has a lot of power, but I’ve never been edged out in that area,” Chimaev said. “He used to fight at 185, too, and then moved up to 205. So I would like to fight at light heavyweight.” 

Well, ‘Borz’ vs. ‘Poatan’ is the kind of once-in-a-generation matchup. But the UFC would most likely not give him the chance to face Pereira in the light heavyweight division without first clearing out the competition. Contenders like Imavov, ‘RDR’, and an improved ‘DDP’ could still present significant challenges for him.

That said, do you see Reinier de Ridder or Nassourdine Imavov facing Khamzat Chimaev next? Let us know in the comments section below.