Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) went after de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on Tuesday with posts on X directed at the contender, just days after beating Dricus Du Plessis in an all-time dominant title fight at UFC 319.

Dana White announced that Reinier de Ridder will face Anthony Hernandez on October 18, with the result of this matchup and the main event of UFC Paris next month being used to decide the next challenger. One of the four fighters in the running to challenge Chimaev has already started to have some thoughts about how he would prepare for such a task.

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

Paulo Costa ripped Khamzat Chimaev's title-winning performance at UFC 319.

The dust has settled following UFC 319 in recent days, but heavy criticism still surrounds former champion Dricus du Plessis in his middleweight title loss.

While discussing stylistic matchups for Chimaev, a former title challenger mentioned a top wrestler in Bo Nickal. On Good Good Guy / Bad Guy, Chael Sonnen was asked who he would bet on to beat Chimaev. Nickal was one of the names that came to mind for the former UFC title challenger.

Chimaev (15-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) dominated and outgrappled Dricus Du Plessis (23-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to claim the middleweight title in Saturday's UFC 319 headliner at United Center in Chicago. Usman was one of the few fighters to pick Chimaev to win.

UFC 319 had all the makings of a blockbuster stacked card, highlight-reel finishes, and a main event with the kind of hype that doesn’t come around too often. And while the night delivered in spades with wild knockouts and nonstop action, the headliner left some fans grumbling.