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.

Reinier de Ridder had designs on some time off after his win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi but now he’s actually targeting a much quicker turnaround with hopes that he could face new middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev sooner than later.

Reinier de Ridder recently reacted to Khamzat Chimaev vowing to make him look like a "white belt" in a potential fight.

Whittaker, who was quickly submitted by Chimaev at UFC 308, went on to lose his second-straight fight to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) last month in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner. De Ridder was able to survive a Round 3 knockdown to outlast Whittaker.

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

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev has made it crystal clear that he's interested in fighting Reinier de Ridder in his next fight.

At 4-0 in the UFC, de Ridder has quickly become a top contender in the 185-pound division. And he now owns a spot in the ESPN middleweight rankings, bumping Whittaker down a couple of spots in the top 10. That is the only change in these latest rankings.

Reinier de Ridder wasn't impressed with Dricus du Plessis' performance against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. The No.5-ranked middleweight contender watched the action from cageside in Chicago.