If Reinier de Ridder gets the winner of the UFC 319 main event, he thinks he has an idea of who would be easier to prepare for.
Khamzat Chimaev is set to challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship on Aug. 16. It’ll be Chimaev’s first crack at UFC gold, while du Plessis is hoping to achieve his second successful title defense.
Following his hard-fought UFC Abu Dhabi win over former middleweight titleholder Robert Whittaker, some feel de Ridder might have punched his ticket to a future championship fight. During an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Reinier de Ridder revealed why he believes it would be easier to prepare for Chimaev than it would for du Plessis (via MMAJunkie).
“He would be an easier guy to prepare for,” de Ridder told ESPN MMA. “Not that he’s an easier fight, but he’s more of a typical style. I can bring a couple of Dagestanis and a couple of Chechens who wrestle pretty similar to Khamzat. He boxes pretty cleanly. It’s not that special in a sense that it’s not as weird as Dricus is. It would be harder to prepare for (Du Plessis), but if (Chimaev) wins, he might be the bigger name.”
It’s a big compliment to du Plessis, given that “RDR” has sparred with “Stillknocks” in the past.
“If there’s one guy who’s hard to study, it’s him,” de Ridder said of Du Plessis. “He doesn’t do the same thing twice. He’s so awkward, so unpredictable. I need more time studying him. He does a lot of awkward stuff, and I sparred him a couple of years ago at Kill Cliff, and what really stands out is the way he kicks.”
Whether or not de Ridder will indeed meet the winner of du Plessis vs. Chimaev remains to be seen, but “RDR” will be sure to keep tabs on the UFC 319 headliner.
