UFC, Khamzat Chimaev
Digest more
Costa (15-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) says knowing he outlasted Olympic silver medalist wrestler Yoel Romero in his fifth UFC fight in 2019, he's confident that he'll have the strength to fend off Chimaev's wrestling.
Dana White teases Khamzat Chimaev’s next challenger, revealing upcoming middleweight fights will carry massive stakes.
Dana White announced that Reinier de Ridder will face Anthony Hernandez on October 18, with the result of this matchup and the main event of UFC Paris next month being used to decide the next challenger. One of the four fighters in the running to challenge Chimaev has already started to have some thoughts about how he would prepare for such a task.
Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) went after de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on Tuesday with posts on X directed at the contender, just days after beating Dricus Du Plessis in an all-time dominant title fight at UFC 319.
Reinier de Ridder recently called for a middleweight title shot against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 321. de Ridder has been on an impressive run
Currently, Ilia Topuria lays claim to the number one spot in the UFC’s rankings, gazumping rival Islam Makahchev with his emphatic knockout of Charles Oliveira earlier this summer. And striking his second Octagon belt with the victory, Spanish force Topuria won lightweight gold, having stopped the who’s who at featherweight to land the belt, too.
Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) dominated Dricus Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on the ground en route to a unanimous decision win in Saturday's main event at United Center in Chicago. Chimaev had over 21 minutes of control time on Du Plessis, and was showered with boos from the fans several times throughout the fight.