The coach of Makhachev and Khabib is not the only prominent name defending Chimaev’s approach in the aftermath of UFC 319.

Dricus Du Plessis' coach is confident they can work on mistakes and get their belt back after UFC 319.

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.

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

CHICAGO -- Khamzat Chimaev may not have made many new fans with his dominant win over Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319 on Saturday, but the top title challenger is taking home the UFC middleweight championship after winning a lopsided decision with a smothering grappling performance.

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.

The Dutchman has won three fights in a row since signing with the UFC. His most recent triumph came in the main event of a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi this past June, where De Ridder defeated Robert Whittaker to add a former champion to his résumé.