UFC, Ridder and Khamzat Chimaev
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UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder firmly believes that he will be able to defeat Khamzat Chimaev if the two do fight each other.
Whittaker, who was quickly submitted by Chimaev at UFC 308, went on to lose his second-straight fight to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) last month in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner. De Ridder was able to survive a Round 3 knockdown to outlast Whittaker.
Reinier de Ridder picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he took a hard-fought split decision over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Abu Dhabi.
Reinier de Ridder wasn't impressed with Dricus du Plessis' performance against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The No.5-ranked middleweight contender watched the action from cageside in Chicago.
At 4-0 in the UFC, de Ridder has quickly become a top contender in the 185-pound division. And he now owns a spot in the ESPN middleweight rankings, bumping Whittaker down a couple of spots in the top 10. That is the only change in these latest rankings.
Dricus Du Plessis' coach is confident they can work on mistakes and get their belt back after UFC 319. Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) was dominated and outgrappled by Khamzat Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event at United Center in Chicago.