Khamzat Chimaev, Reinier De Ridder and Paulo Costa trade shots on social media

Khamzat Chimaev is a popular man in the wake of his UFC middleweight championship triumph at UFC 319 last weekend.

As you can imagine, Khamzat Chimaev’s name has been on plenty of people’s lips since UFC 319. He finally reached the top of the mountain and claimed UFC gold on Saturday night, defeating Dricus du Plessis. He didn’t just win, though – he dominated the South African sensation and, for the most part, made it look easy.

RELATED: Khamzat Chimaev trolls critics who questioned his cardio ahead of UFC 319 championship win

Chimaev was always going to have success with his wrestling but in addition to that, his cardio also seemed to hold up pretty well. He was able to shut down anything that came back his way from du Plessis and moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of strategy he opts to implement as he begins his reign as champion.

In a recent series of tweets, Paulo Costa and Reinier de Ridder came into the conversation as Chimaev starts to consider his next move.

Send location📍

— Reinier de Ridder (@ReinierdeRidder) August 19, 2025

pic.twitter.com/K0Kn4l0gBw

— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) August 19, 2025

Chimaev’s next move

Based on this, it seems like Khamzat Chimaev is interested in locking horns with Reinier de Ridder. Given that RDR is coming off the back of a win over top contender Robert Whittaker, it certainly makes sense.

Beyond that, though, there’s a whole lot of intrigue when it comes to the possible Khamzat/Costa fight. These two men clearly don’t like one another and while Khamzat would be the big favorite, you just never know what you’re going to get with Costa.

What do you believe should be the next UFC middleweight championship fight? How many legitimate title contenders do you believe there are at 185 pounds right now? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!