When you derail a hype train so brutally that fans stop believing in the prospect, the world takes notice, and that’s exactly what Reinier de Ridder did by knocking out Bo Nickal. Undefeated in his UFC run, the former ONE champion is turning heads with every performance. Now slated to face ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, De Ridder isn’t just riding momentum; he’s aiming to give Whittaker the same crushing fate he handed Nickal.

The Dutchman has finished all of his opponents in the UFC, and his last victory against Bo Nickal was just the icing on the cake for his career. He is now looking to replicate the same against the Australian former middleweight champion. In a conversation with Submission Radio, De Ridder stated that he is planning to push ‘The Reaper’ to his limits. “I see myself putting a lot of pressure on him. Hitting with some good shots early. Maybe another knee. Maybe some other cool strikes. Taking him down. Choking him out,” said Nickal.

Well, De Ridder certainly has what it takes to give the former middleweight champion a tough fight, as his record speaks for itself. Riding a four-fight winning streak, ‘The Dutch Knight’ has finished all but two of his opponents, 18 finishes in a 22-fight career. Though primarily a submission specialist, he has also shown knockout power, as seen in his last fight. Whittaker, on the other hand, is riding a one-fight losing streak against Khamzat Chimaev. Despite the losing streak, the Dutchman believes that the Aussie will be a challenging opponent.

In his conversation with MMA Junkie, De Ridder stated that he expects to face the version of Whittaker who fought Ikram Aliskerov, rather than the one who fought Chimaev, “But a little while before that against Ikram (Aliskerov), he did amazing. Robert did very well, and it showed us how dangerous he still is.”

He further added, “It’s a great warning for me that I cannot go into the fight like Ikram did. I cannot give him space. I cannot give him time to look and see, because he has real knockout power, and very nice, clean, straight shots. I’ve got to be very mindful of that.” Reinier De Ridder is confident, but he is supremely aware of his shortcomings against Whitaker. Interestingly, De Ridder has a funny take on the upcoming Chimaev vs Du Plessis fight.

Reinier De Ridder hopes Khamzat Chimaev pulls out of Dricus Du Plessis’ fight

After years of waiting, Khamzat Chimaev is finally getting his title shot against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319. Reinier De Ridder, however, has a different hope. What might that be, you ask? Well, the Dutchman is hoping that ‘Borz’ pulls out of the fight. Sounds absurd? Well, that’s the truth. The former ONE Champion knows about Chimaev’s well-documented history of pulling out of crucial fights, and he is just hoping that the Chechen pulls out of the fight, such that he can fight the South African as a replacement opponent for the title.

“Well, I’m still hoping Khamzat pulls out last minute. It’s two weeks after my fight, so maybe we can still get lucky and I can jump in,” said Reinier De Ridder in his conversation with Submission Radio. De Ridder doesn’t care who wins at UFC 319, but he wants an active champion.

In his conversation with MMA Junkie, De Ridder stated, “I think if it’s going to be Khamzat, then it might slow everything a bit down because he doesn’t really fight that often. So, that being said, it would be nice if it’s Dricus, but I don’t really mind too much.” Pushing closer to fight for the title, Reinier De Ridder is looking to fight either Khamzat Chimaev or Dricus Du Plessis in the near future, but will he be able to jump the line?