Khamzat Chimaev threat scoffed at by former ONE champion, details plan to outwrestle ‘Borz’: "Take me down?" 

Former ONE champion and rising UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder has dimissed the idea that Khamzat Chimaev could outwrestle him, should the pair ever meet inside the octagon in the future.

De Ridder made the switch to the UFC back in November, following a hugely successful run in ONE Championship. During his time in the promotion, the Dutchman won both the middleweight and light heavyweight titles, successfully defending the middleweight strap on two occasions.

The 34-year-old then made his UFC debut back in November 2024, where he successfully submitted Gerald Meerschaert in the third round. He then backed up that victory with a first-round win over Kevin Holland at UFC 311 earlier this month, once again locking in a submission for the victory.

With Reinier de Ridder now looking to push up the rankings, he recently took part in an interview with MMA Junkie where he was asked about his future plans.

De Ridder then proposed a theoretical bout against Khamzat Chimaev and how he thinks it would play out, where he claimed he would aim to outwrestle 'Borz'. He said:

"If I'm the only one bringing up his [Chimaev] name up I might be the only one to get the fight [against him]. What's he gonna do? Take me down? That'd be amazing right. I'd be interested to see his strategy for the fight. He boxes pretty well and his striking is not that bad either...But I see myself taking him down and down again and getting on top."

Catch Reinier de Ridder's comments regarding Khamzat Chimaev here (8:20):

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Robert Whittaker predicts Khamzat Chimaev's chances against either Dricus du Plessis or Sean Strickland

Robert Whittaker recently weighed in on the situation at the top of the middleweight division, where Khamzat Chimaev is expected to face the winner of Dricus du Plessis vs Sean Strickland. The title fight is set to go down on Feb. 8 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, 'The Reaper' stated that he believes Chimaev would be able to beat both du Plessis and Strickland. But, Whittaker did note that if Chimaev doesn't put him away early, 'Stillknocks' could be the toughest test of 'Borz's' career. He explained:

"I think he [Chimaev] beats both of them, I do. I think Dricus would be a harder opponent of Sean and him, just because if Dricus survives because Dricus is just good at surviving, being there, and if we have seen anything with Chimaev, he gets tired committing too heavily to his shots, and grappling transitions."

Check out Robert Whittaker's comments here (6:14):