Joe Rogan has a contender in mind he believes could pose a serious challenge to Khamzat Chimaev’s title reign.
On Saturday night at Chicago’s United Center, Chimaev extended his undefeated streak with a commanding performance, claiming the UFC middleweight title by defeating Dricus Du Plessis via unanimous decision in the UFC 319 main event.
From the opening bell, “Borz” took control, swiftly bringing Du Plessis to the mat and keeping him there throughout the majority of the bout. That relentless pressure set the tone for the fight, as Chimaev dominated “Stillknocks” across all five rounds, converting 12 of 17 takedown attempts and leaving his opponent virtually powerless to launch any offense.
While Chimaev controlled the bout from start to finish, he seldom threatened Du Plessis with a fight-ending finish. His ground strikes, though not overly damaging, kept Du Plessis from mounting any meaningful offense. Still, it hardly mattered, as Chimaev’s total domination and superior grappling were enough to convince all three judges, who scored the bout 50-44 in favor of the undefeated Russian.
Khamzat Chimaev is arguably one of the most dominant fighters in modern UFC, but Rogan believes there’s someone in the 185-pound division who could challenge his supremacy.
Joe Rogan Suggests Reinier de Ridder Could Test Khamzat Chimaev
Following the UFC 319 main event, Joe Rogan, alongside fellow commentators Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik, analyzed Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant performance and his looming reign over the division. Rogan highlighted rising contender Reinier de Ridder as a complete fighter who could potentially pose a serious challenge to “Borz".
Reinier de Ridder in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground and also his ability to land shots standing,” Rogan said. “His toughness, his experience. He throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.
“RDR” is coming off a split-decision victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi last month. The former two-division ONE Fighting champion remains undefeated in the UFC with a 4-0 record, including impressive finishes over Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal.
Meanwhile, Chimaev has stretched his perfect record to 15-0, including a 9-0 mark in the UFC, with 12 of those victories coming by stoppage.
