Joe Rogan believes that if Khamzat Chimaev’s reign as UFC middleweight champion is to come to an end, it will be Reinier de Ridder who beats him.
The UFC colour commentator feels that de Ridder has the best chance of beating Chimaev at 185-pounds.
Joe Rogan Backs Reinier De Ridder To Dethrone Khamzat Chimaev
Khamzat Chimaev is the best 185-pound fighter in MMA right now.
The Russian-Emirati fighter defeated Dricus du Plessis to extend his unbeaten record to 15-0, whilst also climbing to #4 in the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
Now, many people are saying that Chimaev is unbeatable at middleweight. Despite not yet making a defence of his middleweight crown, many MMA fans feel he is leagues above any of his 185-pound contemporaries.
This is something that popular UFC colour commentator Joe Rogan agrees with. Rogan is an MMA expert to say the least, as well as being one of the most successful podcasters in the world today.
His knowledge of MMA is second to none, making him an incredible colour commentator. Rogan feels that Chimaev could well be near unbeatable at middleweight, but does feel there is one man who could potentially dethrone him.
Step forward Reinier de Ridder. The Dutch middleweight contender is the main event this weekend at UFC Vancouver, where he faces the #9 ranked Brendan Allen in the main event at the Rogers Arena.
SportsCasting‘s de Ridder vs Allen betting tips are picking a dominant win for ‘The Dutch Knight’, which could well propel him towards a UFC Middleweight Title shot next.
Win his UFC Vancouver main event and de Ridder has a great chance of facing Chimaev early next year. If that fight does happen, Rogan feels that de Ridder has a great chance of winning it:
“Reinier de Ridder, in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground, and also his ability to land shots standing,” Rogan said whilst discussing who has the best chance of beating ‘Borz’ at middleweight.
“Particularly that knee he lands. That is nasty… Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting,” Rogan concluded.
Will Khamzat Chimaev Fight Reinier de Ridder Next?
Khamzat Chimaev is yet to find out who his next opponent will be. As the new UFC Middleweight Champion, ‘Borz’ will likely make the first defence of his 185-pound belt early in the new year before Ramadan.
There has been talk that Alex Pereira could defend his UFC Light-Middleweight Title against Chimaev next, but that seems highly unlikely for the time being.
Instead, Chimaev may well defend his UFC Middleweight Title against one of the top contenders early in the New Year.
Dricus du Plessis remains the #1 contender at middleweight, but given the dominance of Chimaev over the South Africa at UFC 319, a rematch most certainly won’t happen next.
Nassourdine Imavov is the #2 contender at 185-pounds, and probably deserves his shot after back-to-back wins over former long-reigning champion Israel Adesanya and Caio Borralho.
Sean Strickland branded Chimaev ‘mentally weak’ before his UFC 319 fight with du Plessis, so that is a fight that could well happen between the #3 contender and ‘Borz’.
Next in line is then Reinier de Ridder. Currently ranked #4 at middleweight, if ‘The Dutch Knight’ beats Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver, he could jump into pole position for the next shot at Chimaev’s throne.
Particularly if he gets the stoppage victory over Allen, then he might be next. If de Ridder is next to challenge Chimaev for the UFC Middleweight Title, Joe Rogan is one man who may well be backing the Dutchman to pull off the upset.
