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.

On Saturday, the MMA world saw unbeaten boogeyman Khamzat Chimaev achieve what many thought was an inevitability – become UFC champion at 185 pounds. Chimaev dominated, and defeated Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision 50-44 across the board in the main event of UFC 319 in Chicago.

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.

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

Khamzat Chimaev sets sights on Reinier De Ridder, aiming to defend his championship in a thrilling first title defense clash.

Reinier de Ridder was cageside at UFC 319, watching Khamzat Chimaev dominate Dricus Du Plessis to claim the middleweight crown. And now that “Borz” has made it clear he wants a quick turnaround in Abu Dhabi this October, de Ridder is more than willing to step in.

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.

Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan was in Khamzat Chimaev’s corner at UFC 319, guiding his friend and training partner to a middleweight title victory. It was sheer domination, but not exactly the most exciting fight.