Reinier de Ridder: Why Khamzat Chimaev Easier to Prep for Than ‘Stillknocks’

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Reinier de Ridder recently weighed in on the upcoming title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev.

Chimaev (14-0) will challenge du Plessis (23-2) for the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 319 on Aug. 16 at United Center in Chicago. Having trained with both, middleweight contender de Ridder’s analysis of the matchup certainly holds water.

Like many, “The Dutch Knight” believes Chimaev only has a chance in the early rounds against the durable du Plessis, who is known for his cardio. However, de Ridder doesn’t think “Borz” will be able to finish du Plessis early even if he comes close to doing so. De Ridder (21-2) told TMZ Sports he believes the champ will take over as the fight progresses and retain his belt with a decision victory.

“I have trained with them… I don’t really see Khamzat getting [du Plessis] out of there early. Dricus is such a motherfu**er. So game, so scrambly, especially in the early rounds. Then he builds in [rounds] 3, 4 and 5. So my best guess would be: Khamzat comes out guns blazing, maybe gets close to the back or gets close to control but isn’t able to finish him all the way in [rounds] 1 and 2. And then we see Dricus build in [rounds] 3, 4 and 5 and he wins the decision.”

De Ridder has racked up four straight wins with three finishes since his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut last year. The former One Championship double champ has put himself in the title mix with a split decision win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi last month. While De Ridder wants to sit out for a while, he will certainly be keeping a keen eye on the upcoming middleweight title fight at UFC 319. If De Ridder has to choose a future matchup between Chimaev and du Plessis, the Dutchman believes “Borz” will be easier to prepare for.

De Ridder notes that there are several elite wrestlers with developed striking who can replicate Chimaev. However, De Ridder believes it’ll be hard to find training partners who can emulate “Stillknocks,” who is known for his unruly and unorthodox style.

“Khamzat would be an easier fight to prepare for, I think. Because there’s more great wrestlers who also have great striking, but mostly are great wrestlers. And Dricus is just so all over the place. It’ll be very hard to find a guy who can emulate him. So Khamzat would be easier to prepare for but still, of course, another fight of my life.”