Reinier de Ridder takes aim at Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev after UFC Abu Dhabi win: "Give me a chance"

Reinier de Ridder is targeting Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev after extending his UFC record to 4-0 with his recent victory.

At UFC Abu Dhabi, de Ridder defeated former champion Robert Whittaker by split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) after a hard-fought five-round battle. After the fight, de Ridder called out du Plessis and Chimaev, expressing his desire for more decisive victories:

"I don't want to fight like this, man! [Whittaker] was too tough. I want to finish a guy in the first round. It would be much better. So maybe Khamzat / Dricus next. Let's go. Give me a chance to fight for that strap."

Check out Reinier de Ridder's comments below (1:03):

In the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, Whittaker put his top-five ranking on the line against No.13-ranked de Ridder. Whittaker had success with his striking and scored the only knockdown of the fight.

Meanwhile, de Ridder leveraged his grappling and kickboxing skills to make the fight more competitive, ultimately convincing two of the three judges to score the bout in his favor.

With this triumph, the Dutch fighter is likely to enter top five of the middleweight rankings and is closely observing the upcoming title fight between defending champion du Plessis and No.3-ranked Chimaev.

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Reinier de Ridder showers praise on Robert Whittaker, weighs in on UFC 319 main event

Reinier de Ridder scored his first three wins in the UFC by way of finishes. However, Robert Whittaker presented the biggest challenge of the Dutch fighter's professional MMA career thus far, pushing him to his limits.

Although de Ridder landed several impactful knees, which had been effective against his past opponents, Whittaker continued to press forward. Speaking on the 'UFC Fight Night Post Show' after the right, de Ridder commended Whittaker for his toughness, stating:

"In the Bo Nikal fight, I saw that he was fading away every time I hit him, I saw that I'm gonna get him. But [Whittaker] took two steps back and he was right back in the game. This guy is unbelievable." [0:53]

When asked to give his prediction for the Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev, scheduled to headline UFC 319 in August, de Ridder said:

"I'm thinking of Dricus. He has Dutch genes like me. So I think Dricus, but we'll see." [4:03]

Check out Reinier de Ridder's comments below: