Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager sends fans into matchmaking mode with Reinier de Ridder fight tease: "Islam?"

Khabib Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, is causing quite the stir on X after he left a cryptic message about one of his fighters, Reinier de Ridder, getting offered a fight. At UFC on ESPN 67 last weekend, de Ridder stopped the previously undefeated Bo Nickal. Even more impressive is that he did it in just two rounds.

After beating one of the strongest prospects in MMA in recent years, 'The Dutch Knight' has successfully compiled three straight finishes in the UFC since debuting late last year. Reinier de Ridder, who was a two-division ONE world champion before entering the UFC, is now at No. 13 in the UFC middleweight rankings. He might very well get someone in the top 10 or even top 5 with his win last weekend.

Ali Abdelaziz posted on X:

"RDR just got offered a fight guess who"

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Fans replied with their own speculations, with @Sarcasm_n_Logic saying:

"Islam?"

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Meanwhile, @V2Brodie suggested a former world champion, saying:

"Please be Strickland so he can be sent back to the Apex"

Here are more comments:

More comments on the tweet. [Image credit: @AliAbdelaziz on X]

Possible opponents for Reinier de Ridder after Bo Nickal upset at UFC on ESPN 67

The magnitude of what Reinier de Ridder achieved last weekend couldn't be overstated. Bo Nickal was once considered a serious threat to the throne, even before he debuted on the main card. With his undefeated record and wrestling credentials, the middleweight prospect was one of the most feared men at 185 pounds, perhaps next to only Khamzat Chimaev.

Still, 'RDR' used his underrated Dutch kickboxing skills and wily Jiu-Jitsu to nullify Nickal's wrestling pressure. He was able to reverse a guillotine choke attempt and landed on top control for a significant amount of time in the first round.

In the second round, de Ridder connected with a few solid knees to the body that got Nickal reeling backwards. Shortly after that, the Dutch fighter connected with another knee to the liver that put his American foe down for the count.

With Chimaev pretty much set to face the champion Dricus du Plessis soon, that leaves the rest of the middleweight top 10 for Reinier de Ridder to pick his next foe. Judging by how Abdelaziz made news out of 'RDR' getting a new offer almost immediately after a bout, it might be a big name in the top 10.

About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann