Reinier De Ridder Targets Adesanya vs. Imavov Winner, Calls Out Khamzat and Whittaker
Just two fights into his UFC tenure and Reinier de Ridder is ready for one of the big guns.
The former two-division ONE world champion secured a dominant win over Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in Los Angeles, moving to 2-0 inside the Octagon.
While he is yet to break into the middleweight rankings, that isn’t stopping ‘The Dutch Knight’ from aiming for one of its highest-ranking contenders. During his appearance at the post-fight press conference on Saturday, De Ridder called for a clash with either Robert Whittaker or the next man in line for a shot at the 185-pound crown, Khamzat Chimaev.
‘RDR’ also left the door open for a potential scrap with the winner of next month’s middleweight clash between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov.
“Khamzat and Whittaker,” De Ridder, 34, said. “Khamzat will be cool for a grapplers’ matchup, would be cool for all that he’s done. Please, I hope they give me this, it would be amazing. I can be ready as soon as they are. Israel and Imavov will fight soon, as well, one of them would work, too. I can be back in the gym next week.”
Reinier de ridder may be aiming a little too high for his third UFC appearance
Adesanya vs. Imavov will headline the UFC’s return to Saudi Arabia on February 1. As for Chimaev, the undefeated Chechen monster is tipped to take on the winner of UFC 312’s main event rematch between defending middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland.
Overall, Reinier de Ridder is 19-2 in his mixed martial arts career, both of his losses coming against ONE Championship’s former three-division titleholder Anatoly Malykhin. De Ridder surrendered both the ONE light heavyweight and middleweight titles to the Russian juggernaut before exiting the promotion in pursuit of UFC gold.
What’s next for De Ridder is anyone’s guess, but following his dominant performance in Los Angeles, it’s clear that fight fans are excited to see just how far the Dutchman can go on MMA’s biggest stage.
