The middleweight division is under spotlight, and Reinier de Ridder positioned himself for a big fight after UFC Abu Dhabi.

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

Reinier de Ridder picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he took a hard-fought split decision over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Abu Dhabi.

UFC CEO Dana White expressed a willingness to grant Chimaev his wish if he's serious about it. If it comes to fruition, de Ridder thinks he is the correct contender to be standing on the other side of the cage.

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.

The main event of UFC Vancouver in October will pit Reinier de Ridder against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez, potentially offering a clue to Khamzat Chimaev ’s first challenger for the middleweight title.

While de Ridder is 34, he sees there could be opportunities for him to succeed in the UFC long term. De Ridder also provides a fresh face to a division that could use a few more contenders.

Middleweight fight is going down in “Raincouver.” UFC CEO Dana White announced today that No. 5-ranked Reinier de Ridder will take on No. 6-ranked Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Vancouver on Sat.