Khamzat Chimaev: Reinier de Ridder no match for Khamzat Chimaev, claims top middleweight: "He couldn't pass the guard"

Caio Borralho doesn't believe Reinier de Ridder stands a chance against Khamzat Chimaev in a potential fight. The top-ranked middleweight contender recently shared his thoughts on a possible Chimaev-de Ridder fight in light of the Chechen-born fighter's title win at UFC 319 last weekend.

After dominating Dricus du Plessis on the ground over five rounds at UFC 319, Chimaev won the middleweight championship via unanimous decision and was widely lauded for his impeccable grappling prowess. In the aftermath, de Ridder expressed an interest in fighting Chimaev for the title. The Dutchman is notably coming off a split decision win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi in July.

While many believe de Ridder's grappling pedigree could make him a dangerous opponent for Chimaev, Borralho disagrees. In an interview with Submission Radio, the Brazilian was asked if de Ridder could push Chimaev to his limits. He replied:

"I don't think so. I think the guys that deserve a shot are me and 'Fluffy' [Anthony Hernandez]... To be honest, to fight Khamzat, you need to have good bottom-position skills, and I think RDR has those skills, you know? He's very skilled with his back on the floor."

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He continued:

"He's very slick with his submissions. But, I don't believe he has answers for Khazmat. His fight against Whittaker, he was on top and he couldn't pass the guard... He's very good at jiu-jitsu but I don't think with Khamzat, he could actually do something."

Catch Caio Borralho's comments below (5:37):

Reinier de Ridder explains game plan for potential Khamzat Chimaev fight

Reinier de Ridder recently outlined his strategy for a potential fight against Khamzat Chimaev. It appears the Dutchman isn't worried about Chimaev's grappling prowess and is confident he could hold his own against the reigning UFC middleweight king.

In an appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast, de Ridder previewed a potential Chimaev fight and said:

"I think the main thing is if it goes to the ground, if he takes me down great, if I take him down great, and if it's on the feet great. I think there is not an area that we can go to in the fight that's going to be bad for me. I'd be happy if he is on top and I can play guard. I have some nice tricks from the bottom. I'd be happy if I were on top. I have some nice tricks from the top. And standing up, I feel like I can hang with him as well."

He continued:

"So, what I do is the same thing I always do. Put the pressure on, see if I can get in the clinch and hurt him there. Take him down, see if I can get the choke. That's what I do."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.