UFC Middenweight Competier, Reinier de Ridder, is one of the busiest hunters in the schedule of the promotion, competing four times four times over the past eight months and achieving four straight victories. This includes his hard -fought victory over former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi last month on ‘Fight Island’.
It sounds like “The Dutch Knight” is ready for a holiday.
“Every time I came to the UFC, I had set a fight three days after the last fight,” said De Ridder (21-2) MMA Fighting. “But I don’t think it will be the case this time. It will take a few weeks, at least I want to see the Khamzat-Dry fight first and then we will see what is happening. We will see. I think that is smart to keep a little back.”
Dricus Du Plessis will defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev on top of the UFC 319 Pay-per-View (PPV) card later this month in Chicago, with De Ridder (and the winner of this fight) considered for the next crack on the 185-pound crown. Until that time, the former middleweight title -seconder, Paulo Costa, wants to play spoiler.
Costa (15-4) returned to the win column by beating Roman Kopylov on UFC 318.
“He really wants that fight, I think,” De Ridder explained. “He really wants to set up something. Keep trying. Keep trying, Paulo. You will come there. He would be a nice structure, would be very nice in the press conference and everything with Paulo because he is a character. But now I don’t think he is there.”
De Ridder is in seven places above Costa in the official middleweight ranking.
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