Reinier de Ridder gets brutally honest about Khamzat Chimaev being known as "the most feared opponent" in UFC middleweight division

Rising star Reinier de Ridder recently weighed in on potentially fighting Khamzat Chimaev. Although the Dutch claimed he respects 'Borz' as a fighter, he believes that there are tougher opponents in the middleweight division.

In his previous outing, 'The Dutch Knight' knocked out Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines. As Nickal was considered to be a rising prospect in the division, de Ridder pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year so far.

In a recent interview with Home of Fight, de Ridder shared his perspective on a fight against Chimaev, stating:

"I think it will be a very cool grappling match, lots of nice wrestling scrambles, lots of nice positions to go through. But, I'll be happy if he gets some rounds in with Dricus [du Plessis] so I can have more to study. I think there are better fighters [than Chimaev] in the division to be honest. More complete guys, Imavov, he's very complete. He moves very well, very relaxed and smart when he fights. I think that might be a harder fight. But Khamzat is, of course, a great fighter."

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Chael Sonnen breaks down Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen recently shared his perspective on the much-anticipated Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev fight at UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago on August 16.

In an Instagram clip, Sonnen said:

"I am not fully confident that Chimaev can take [ du Plessis] down at will. I'm not fully confident he can keep him there. We're going to know in the very first round. If Dricus gets taken down in the first round, things are going to unravel very quickly. But if he can defend the takedown for the entire first five minutes, it's only going to get easier to stay on your feet after that. It's an exciting match."

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About the author

Sunil holds a Bachelor of Science degree in visual communication. He started his professional career in 2023 and has previously worked with FirstSportz and Levitate Studios, among other organizations.

Sunil was drawn to MMA by Conor McGregor, especially the Irishman’s crossover boxing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. His favorite fighter is Jorge Masvidal for his wild and unorthodox approach.

Surprisingly, ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Gamebred’ do not find a place in his Mt. Rushmore, which includes Chuck Liddell, Anderson Silva, Alex Pereira, Daniel Cormier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. He feels ONE Championship’s Rodtang Jitmuangnon has the ability to succeed in the UFC due to his power.

Sunil is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to prevent eye pokes and does not mind soccer kicks in MMA.

In his free time, he likes to watch anime and films in general. He’s also a boxing historian, having gotten into the sport watching videos of fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran.

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Edited by Sunil Krishnan