“You have no idea what I’m willing to do to be the greatest, but soon you’ll find out.” Dricus du Plessis fired that warning on Instagram, making it clear he’s not backing down from the boogeyman’s threat. The South African champ is training harder than ever for the biggest challenge of his career. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev isn’t slacking off either. He’s grinding just as hard.

‘Borz’ opened as nearly a two-to-one favorite over the reigning champ, and the majority’s already backing him. That support comes from the relentless grappling threat he’s shown time and again, steamrolling nearly everyone in his path. But to make sure ‘Stillknocks’ doesn’t flip the script, the Chechen powerhouse has seen training with a top-tier coach to sharpen his boxing even further.

Khamzat Chimaev trains Boxing with Russian champ Ildar Aisin ahead of UFC 319 

‘DDP’ has won over plenty of fans with his wild, drunken-fist style and you can bet he’ll lean on that unorthodox approach in the UFC 319 grudge match. But to neutralize that stand-up threat, Chimaev has brought Russian gold medalist coach Ildar Aisin into his camp. The same man is credited with elevating 2020 Olympic boxer Thabiso Dlamini’s game.

Chimaev recently posted a photo on Instagram training with Ildar Aisin, likely a message to the reigning champ that he’s ready to stand and bang if it comes to that on August 16. But this isn’t their first time working together. Aisin was also seen doing pad work with ‘Borz’ shortly after he broke Robert Whittaker’s jaw at UFC 308.

Still, it’s got to be acknowledged that the future title challenger will always be a menace thanks to his ability to take opponents down at will. That’s the part most fighters dread, hitting the mat and dealing with that nonstop pressure. But there’s one middleweight contender who isn’t backing down from a potential ground war with him.

Reinier de Ridder thinks a grappling match with Chimaev would be cool

Reinier de Ridder has been oozing confidence ever since he derailed the Bo Nickal hype train at UFC Des Moines. The Dutchman’s MMA experience was simply too much for the NCAA standout, leading to a one-sided beatdown of one of the UFC’s hottest prospects. With that kind of self-belief, de Ridder figures mixing it up with Khamzat Chimaev wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

‘RDR’ in a Home of Fight interview said, “I think it will be a very cool grappling match, lots of nice wrestling scrambles, lots of nice positions to go through. But, I’ll be happy if he gets some rounds in with Dricus so I can have more to study.”

‘The Dutch Knight’ looks like he’s already picking his next fight, and he’s not just hyping up a wrestling clinic. He’s doubling down, even claiming that Nassourdine Imavov is a more complete fighter than Khamzat Chimaev. Clearly, de Ridder’s not buying into the Boogeyman myth, and he’s not afraid to stir the pot while he’s at it.

He added, “I think there are better fighters in the division, to be honest. More complete guys, Imavov, he’s very complete. He moves very well, very relaxed and smart when he fights. I think that might be a harder fight. But Khamzat is, of course, a great fighter.”

Well, he’s set to face former champ Robert Whittaker on July 26th, a true proving ground to see if he’s ready to move on and challenge for the title. ‘The Reaper’ has dominated just about every middleweight he’s faced, with only Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, and Khamzat Chimaev managing to stop him. Can de Ridder do the same? We’ll find out soon.

That said, how do you think the middleweight division will shake out after UFC 319 decides if the South African stays king or gets dethroned? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!