UFC CEO Dana White expressed a willingness to grant Chimaev his wish if he's serious about it. If it comes to fruition, de Ridder thinks he is the correct contender to be standing on the other side of the cage.

Reinier de Ridder recently called for a middleweight title shot against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 321. de Ridder has been on an impressive run

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has made it crystal clear that he's interested in fighting Reinier de Ridder in his next fight.

Whittaker, who was quickly submitted by Chimaev at UFC 308, went on to lose his second-straight fight to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) last month in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner. De Ridder was able to survive a Round 3 knockdown to outlast Whittaker.

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Khamzat Chimaev sets sights on Reinier De Ridder, aiming to defend his championship in a thrilling first title defense clash.

At 4-0 in the UFC, de Ridder has quickly become a top contender in the 185-pound division. And he now owns a spot in the ESPN middleweight rankings, bumping Whittaker down a couple of spots in the top 10. That is the only change in these latest rankings.

Reinier de Ridder wasn't impressed with Dricus du Plessis' performance against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The No.5-ranked middleweight contender watched the action from cageside in Chicago.