Luke Rockhold and Joe Rogan are in agreement that there may just be one man who can finally end Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated run.
After looking unbeatable for his entire UFC career Dricus Du Plessis was made to look like a beginner at times as Chimaev utterly dominated him to win the middleweight title at UFC 319. And after the fact, the question has arisen if not the South African then who will dethrone the new champion.
A key factor will have to be strong wrestling, both offensively and more importantly defensively. And there’s one impressive promotional newcomer who both Rogan and former title holder Rockhold concur could be the man.
Luke Rockhold believes Reinier De Ridder could defeat Khamzat Chimaev
Luke Rockhold is currently preparing for his first Misfits Boxing bout against Darren Till on August 30 in Manchester. However, that didn’t stop him tuning in to watch as Khamzat Chimaev finally claimed middleweight gold.
And asked in an exclusive chat by Bloody Elbow who would be able to beat the Chechen champ, he replied: “Well who can wrestle? De Ridder, yeah, he could be tough, he could be a problem for Khamzat.
Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC
“I don’t like to give him much credit because he’s not that good but I still think a guy like Paulo Costa would pose problems. His wrestling defence is not bad and look at what he did against Yoel Romero, even though Romero doesn’t stick to his wrestling but he was able to defend a lot of takedowns.
“But in reality, I like De Ridder. He’s probably the number one choice for this thing, for sure.”
Joe Rogan named Reinier De Ridder as potential boogeyman after UFC 319
It’s the same opinion as Joe Rogan, who said on the post-fight broadcast that he feels the former ONE FC Champion might be the only one to trouble Chimaev. His defensive wrestling will be key, but questions remain about his striking and top level experience.
“Reinier de Ridder, in particular, given his ability to grapple on the ground, and also his ability to land shots standing,” Rogan said while discussing Chimaev’s list of potential opponents with Daniel Cormier and Jon Anik after the show.
“Particularly that knee he lands. That is nasty… Toughness, experience, he throws those combinations with that long lead-in knee. He’s interesting.”