After a new middleweight champion was crowned at UFC 319, Talk quickly turned to what the next one is.
Various hunters, including Sean Strickland, now called Khamzat Chimaev that the unbeaten star demanded the gold.
Although there are already several names in the mix, the next competition can be decided in line in a few weeks when the Octagon returns to Paris.
Chimaev stated that he believes that this will decide his next opponent when Nassourdine Imavov to Caio Borralho is in the main event.
However, there is still a hunter in the division that predicts a former champion to be the most difficult test for 'Borz' on 185 pounds.
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Robert Whittaker predicts that Reinier De Ridder has the best chance of beating Khamzat Chimaev
In anticipation of UFC 319, Robert Whittaker was in a great position to give his opinion on the main event that was previously confronted with both men.
The former champion was not surprisingly incredibly impressed by what he saw from Khamzat Chimaev, in particular his ruthless output.
“What we did not expect was Chimaev's ability to do that 25 minutes,” said Whittaker on his MMarcade podcast. “That was spiritual.”
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'The Reaper' was later asked who he believes that the most difficult fight will be for Chimaev now that he is the champion.
Whittaker went with another hunter that he recently detected against, after he had lost a split decision last month to clean the knight in Abu Dhabi.
“De Ridder. I think De Ridder has a good shot because, I think the person who gave Chimaev the closest nearby was in my opinion when he fought against Gilbert Burns. That was because Chimaev was respectful and was careful with the Jiu-Jitsu game of Gilbert and De Ridder's a Ground Player.
“He is a long, lower player Jiu-Jitsu-man. If he respects his land, as he did in the Burns fight and it will be a bit of a slugfest, I think the knight is really unconventional. He has some annoying attacks and shots that can give Chimaev some grief.”
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Joe Rogan also called Reinier de Ridder as an “interesting” challenge for Khamzat Chimaev
When responding to the main event during the UFC 319 broadcast, Joe Rogan also called Reinier de Ridder when he spoke about what could be the next one for Khamzat Chimaev.
As Whittaker stated, 'RDR' is an entry specialist who, although he has been successful with his striking in the UFC, is happy that fighters are trying to test his grab.
“In particular Reinier de Ridder, in view of his ability to struggle on the ground, and also his ability to land shots, especially the knee he lands. That is filthy,” Rogan said. “Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long walk -in knee. He is interesting.”
De Ridder currently occupies the #5 ranking in the middleweight after having gone 4-0 in the Octagon.