Latest news with #KhamzatChimaev
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Reinier de Ridder eyes Chimaev vs Du Plessis victor after narrow win over Robert Whittaker
Reinier de Ridder will turn his attention to a middleweight title shot next, after beating former champion Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. De Ridder won a split decision against Whittaker after a razor-close contest, emerging a 48-47, 47-48, 48-47 victor. With that, the Dutchman moved to 4-0 since making his UFC debut in November. On top of that impressive run, 'RDR' has pedigree as a former two-weight champion in ONE, which might work in his favour as he looks to race into a title shot. The grappling specialist, 34, was unable to find the stoppage against Whittaker – having TKOed Bo Nickal and submitted Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland in his previous UFC bouts – and he was even dropped by a huge overhand in round two. But just as he did against Nickal last time out, De Ridder sapped Whittaker's energy with brutal knees to the body, and he was able to control the Australian, 34, for long spells in certain rounds. By losing the decision, Whittaker fell to back-to-back losses for the first time since 2014. In his previous fight, in October, he suffered a first-round submission by Khamzat Chimaev, who will challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in August. And De Ridder is adamant that he wants to fight the winner of that contest, or even weigh in as the back-up fighter. 'Very close,' De Ridder said about his fight with Whittaker. 'I don't want to fight like this. This guy was too tough. I want to finish a guy in the first round, it would be much better. I expected to take him down and choke him out, but he was amazing. So tough, so durable. 'Maybe Khamzat, Dricus next. Give me a chance to fight for that strap.'
Forbes
3 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 319 Main Card Set With High-Stakes Featherweight Co-Main Event
Pretoria , South Africa - 6 July 2024; UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis is introduced to ... More the crowd before the first test between South Africa and Ireland at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images) The TBD vs. TBD slot on the upcoming UFC 319 fight card has been filled. During Saturday's UFC Abu Dhabi fight card, the UFC announced that high-profile UFC free agent signing Aaron Pico would face the undefeated Lerone Murphy in the co-main event of the UFC 319 pay-per-view card. UFC 319, which features a main event title fight between middleweight champ Dricus du Plessis and the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev takes place on Saturday, August 16. The United Center in Chicago plays host to the UFC 319 PPV fight card. The UFC has not held a fight card in Chicago since 2019. The UFC 319 main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN, and early prelims on ESPN+ and UFC Fight Pass. UFC 319 Pay-Per-View Card Officially Announced Dricus du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev - For Du Plessis's UFC middleweight title Lerone Murphy vs. Aaron Pico - Featherweight Geoff Neal vs. Carlos Prates - Welterweight Jared Cannonier vs. Michael Page - Middleweight Tim Elliott vs. Kai Asakura - Flyweight Other UFC 319 Fights Officially Announced King Green vs. Diego Ferreira - Lightweight Gerald Meerschaert vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Jessica Andrade vs. Loopy Godinez - Women's Strawweight Chase Hooper vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Edson Barboza vs. Drakkar Klose - Lightweight Bryan Battle vs. Nursulton Ruziboev - Middleweight Karine Silva vs. JJ Aldrich - Women's Flyweight *The full UFC 319 fight card has not been officially released by the UFC. UFC 319 Main Event: Dricus du Plessis Vs. Khamzat Chimaev PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Dricus Du Plessis of South Africa reacts after his submission victory ... More against Israel Adesanya of Nigeria in the UFC middleweight championship fight during the UFC 305 event at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Dricus du Plessis (23-2) joined the UFC in October 2020 as a 26-year-old with a 14-2 record. Before he joined the UFC, Du Plessis had won titles with KSW and EFC. He made his debut against Markus Perez on the main card of a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi. Du Plessis knocked out Perez in the first round. He followed that win with a July 2021 'Performance of the Night' KO win of Trevin Giles. Those two wins earned him a shot against the ranked veteran Brad Tavares. Du Plessis won that scrap via decision. The victory put him in the top 15 of the division. A December 2022 submission win over Darren Till moved Du Plessis to No. 10 in the division. A TKO win over the No. 5 ranked Derek Brunson followed. Du Plessis, who was working his way up the rankings, faced a tough test in his next outing when he met the No. 2 ranked Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis continued his rise, knocking out the former UFC champion in the UFC middleweight title eliminator and earning another 'Performance of the Night' bonus. More important than the bonus was the title shot Du Plessis received for that win. He faced then-champion Sean Strickland in January, taking the title from Strickland in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap In his first title defense Du Plessis picked up an August 2024 submission win over former UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis most recently faced Strickland in a rematch at UFC 312 in early February of this year. Du Plessis won that contest via unanimous decision. I wrote of the champ after that fight, "Dricus du Plessis looked much more controlled and less reckless at UFC 312 than in many of his previous battles. He mixed up his striking techniques and targets against Sean Strickland, landed the more powerful blows, and didn't put himself in too many awkward positions. "Du Plessis did a much better job in his UFC 312 rematch against Strickland in shutting down his foe's offense. In the first fight, Strickland landed 173 of 408 significant strikes. While in the rematch, Strickland was held to 128 landed strikes on 263 attempts. Meanwhile, Du Plessis increased his landed strikes and landing percentage from the first fight to the second. In the first battle, Du Plessis landed 137 of 354 attempts for a landing rate of 38 percent. At UFC 312, the champ landed 147 of 314 attempts for a striking rate of 46 percent. 'Du Plessis has defended the UFC middleweight crown twice while going 9-0 in the UFC. Despite his winning ways, the champ remains a bit of an enigma because his style shouldn't work — but it does.' ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Khamzat Chimaev of Russia prepares to face Robert ... More Whittaker of New Zealand in a middleweight fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chimaev (14-0) is the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. The 30-year-old made his UFC debut in July 2020 with a second-round submission win over John Phillips. He followed that victory with a first-round TKO over Rhys McKee 10 days later, breaking the UFC record for the quickest turnaround between UFC wins in the modern era. Then, in September, Chimaev knocked out Gerald Meerschaert. Things slowed down for Chimaev after that. He was booked to face Leon Edwards in December 2020, but that matchup never came to be despite multiple attempts to make the fight happen. The reason behind the numerous cancellations of Edwards vs. Chimaev was COVID-19. When Chimaev finally returned to the Octagon in October 2021, he made short work of Li Jingliang, scoring a submission at 3:16 of Round 1. In his next bout, Chimaev went the distance for the first time in his career, picking up a victory over Gilbert Burns. He followed that with a submission over Kevin Holland. A break of more than a year followed that victory. Chimaev's next outing was an October 2023 matchup against Kamaru Usman, a fight that Chimaev won via decision. A year after that, Chimaev made short work of Robert Whittaker, defeating the ex-UFC middleweight champ via submission (face crank) in the first round of their UFC 308 scrap. UFC 319 Co-Main Event: Lerone Murphy Vs. Aaron Pico LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 05: Lerone Murphy of England reacts after his victory over Josh Emmett in ... More their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on April 05, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Lerone Murphy (16-0-1) opened his UFC career with a 2019 draw against Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, the 34 year old has done nothing but win. Murphy has gone 8-0 with the UFC since that draw, most recently beating former UFC interim title challenger Josh Emmett by decision. Before that April 2025 victory, Murphy picked up wins over Edson Barboza and Dan Ige. Murphy is the No. 6 ranked fighter in the official UFC 145-pound division. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Aaron Pico is seen during a Q&A session prior to the UFC 314 ceremonial ... More weigh-in at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Aaron Pico (13-4) joined the UFC as a free agent earlier this year. Pico was with Bellator for his entire MMA career before departing as a free agent. The 28-year-old had an up-and-down run with the promotion, but he enters UFC Abu Dhabi on a three-fight winning streak. His record in his past 10 fights is 9-1. His only loss during that span, which dates back to January 2020, is a October 2022 TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy in a fighter were the doctor stopped the bout because Pico dislocated his shoulder. When announcing the initial UFC 319 co-main event of Movsar Evloev vs. Pico, UFC CEO Dana White called Pico, 'the guy most people consider to be the top free agent in the world.' White added, 'Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a very high-level grappler. Pico has had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill and fighting style, which people compare him to the likes of Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.' The Pico vs. Evloev fight fell apart in mid-July when Evloev was pulled from the card due to illness. UFC 319 Fight Card Location: United Center in Chicago, IL UFC 319 Date: Saturday, August 16 UFC 319 Time: Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 8:00 p.m. ET Early Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET We will have more on UFC 319, including the official announcement of the UFC 319 co-main event, as fight night nears.
The National
4 days ago
- Sport
- The National
UFC Fight Night: Reinier de Ridder edges past Robert Whittaker via split decision in Abu Dhabi
The headline event at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi lived up to its hype as Reinier de Ridder secured a split-decision victory over Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena on Saturday night. De Ridder secured a 48-47 decision from two judges, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby, while Mike Bell gave the contest to Whittaker 48-47. Whittaker put up a markedly improved performance since his last fight in the promotion, where the Australian suffered a first-round defeat in just three minutes and 34 seconds; forced to tap out by Khamzat Chimaev in October last year. On Saturday, Whittaker landed a big knockdown with a strike in the third round of the middleweight match. However, de Ridder - who has a 20-2 record and has been on a roll since moving out of One Championship - recovered and dominated the stat sheet. De Ridder landed 192 total strikes, while Whittaker connected on only 70. Additionally, de Ridder recorded two takedowns. "I expected to take him down and choke him out," de Ridder said. "He was amazing. So tough, so durable, heavy hands." "I don't want to fight anyone like this man again," de Ridder added. "He was too tough. I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat (Chimaev) or Dricus (Du Plessis)." The 34-year-old thus continued his rise up the ranks in the middleweight division, picking up his fourth straight UFC win and fifth MMA victory in a row. It also marked a significant milestone in De Ridder's MMA career. The Dutchman had been handed a contract in the promotion last July shortly after appearing at UAE Warriors. It followed a falling out with One Championship, an organisation where he was a double world champion, leading to a period of inactivity. It was De Ridder's fourth straight victory in UFC after recording wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal, all without going the distance. Elsewhere on the main card, Bogdan Guskov knocked out Nikita Krylov 4:18 into the first round of their light heavyweight clash. It is the fourth consecutive win by either knockout or submission for the Uzbekistani. Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision in a bantamweight clash. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns. In the middleweight division, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss against Michael Page in February to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges. Flyweight fighter Asu Almabayev also won by unanimous decision, defeating 24-year-old Peruvian Jose Ochoa. Ochoa battled hard and landed 118 total strikes, but Almabayev controlled the fight with seven takedowns.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gilbert Burns: 'Unbelievably strong' Dricus Du Plessis beats Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319
ABU DHABI – Gilbert Burns has experience hitting the mats with both Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. Middleweight champion Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defends his title against Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in the UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16 from United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Burns gave Chimaev arguably his toughest test to date when he pushed him to the brink in an all-out war at UFC 273. The former title challenger has also trained with Du Plessis before, so was able to give insight on their championship fight. "It's a very tough fight," Burns told MMA Junkie. "Dricus is a monster. I trained a lot with Dricus when he was at Hard Knocks, unbelievably strong for that division, very big too, crazy gas tank. He looks tired, you look at him, 'Oh, he's getting tired,' but he's not. Hits very hard, does both stances, grappling defense is get a lot better. I think right now he's going to focus on that to not get submitted. "And guess what? If Chimaev doesn't finish him in the first, or give him one more round, the second round, I don't think he can. I think it's going to be a long night, and Dricus can keep coming, keep coming. He gets stronger as the rounds are going. The guy doesn't quit, he doesn't break so, I got to go with Dricus on that one." Although Chimaev has opted for a different look this camp by working with Sam Calavitta for his strength and conditioning, Burns doesn't see it making a difference. "He just got in the U.S. three, four weeks ago, I don't think it's going to be enough," Burns said. "Maybe even pushing too hard right now, it might be breaking him. When I saw that I said maybe, but when I saw the timing, I don't think so. I think Dricus is winning that one." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 319: Why Gilbert Burns says Dricus Du Plessis tops Khamzat Chimaev
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Robert Whittaker reveals it took months to fully heal from gruesome Khamzat Chimaev injury
Robert Whittaker quite literally had his face rearranged in his most recent Octagon appearance. The former UFC middleweight champion suffered a horrific first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev this past October, a defeat which resulted in a broken jaw for Whittaker and shattered three of his bottom teeth from Chimaev's squeeze. "Bobby Knuckles" is now fully recovered and on the rebound, but before he competes in this weekend's UFC Abu Dhabi main event against Reinier de Ridder, Whittaker revealed it took several months to fully heal from the gruesome scene. "Perfect, mate. Better than before," Whittaker said of his teeth and jaw on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show." "I just got them taken out, the teeth. I got implants put in, and it took them a little while to set and settle. Now that that's all done, I've had plenty of time. Like I said, better than ever." Whittaker vs. Chimaev was essentially an unofficial title eliminator that led to the latter's championship bout against UFC middleweight king Dricus du Plessis on Aug. 16 at UFC 319. Whittaker also previously fought du Plessis in July 2023, infamously losing in an upset that, at least in the moment, was considered fairly surprising. When assessing the matchup between his two former opponents, Whittaker believes the paths to victory are clear for each. "Chimaev is going to get him to the ground," Whittaker said. "If he doesn't finish him there, I don't think he wins. That's just how I feel. If you can't get Dricus out in the first, which Chimaev can do — first-round finishes is his thing, right? — but if he doesn't get him out of there, I think Dricus looks good, very promising. He's a guy that if you don't get rid of, he kind of wins." At age 34, Whittaker remains a top contender at 185 pounds and can reestablish himself in the hunt by turning back another surging contender with the aforementioned de Ridder fight. That being said, Whittaker knows his clock is ticking to make one final title run — which in Whittaker's mind, would be the ideal capstone on the Aussie legend's potentially Hall of Fame career. "Realistically, I only want to fight for a couple more years. There's other things I want to do still. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I understand it is my last big push, the last sprint, last one hundred meters of the race. Let's get in there, get a few more fights in. I can see the path to the gold, and the dream is that fairytale ending. Everything goes into this. "Sailing off into the sunset as the champ [would be perfect]." Whittaker has been a mainstay of the middleweight division since 2014 and has been nearly flawless throughout that run. His only losses came against championship-caliber competition: Du Plessis, Chimaev and Israel Adesanya. Depending on how many wins it might take to get Whittaker back to a title fight, he could realistically be staring at a rematch with either man in UFC 319's championship bout. While the Chimaev loss may have been the worst of his recent two setbacks, especially optically, his second-round stoppage loss to du Plessis is still the one haunting Whittaker most. If he had it his way, closing out his run in MMA with redemption against the South African would be a dream come true. "Honestly, I think Dricus is the sort of guy that will lose to himself," Whittaker said. "The way he fights. I think it's obvious with every fight, it's very heavily mindset driven. Especially for him. He's tough as nails and he never quits. He beats a lot of people on the backs of him not going anywhere. I think the day that he can't push, the day that he can't find that, is the day that he might lose. He's got a head of steel, he's a tough guy, he's strong, he's physically fit, he puts in the work. "I'd like to fight him again. That would be the icing on the cake. ... Honestly, I do think I'm better than him. I think I'm better than everybody, even when I lose, right? It's mainly that in our first pairing, I let myself down in that fight, and I want to correct that. I didn't have the right headspace to go and beat him. "I want to correct that more than any of my other losses. That's the fight I didn't like feeling like that."
