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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Khamzat Chimaev took the UFC middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis with a unanimous decision win over Stillknocks in the main event of UFC 319.

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 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.

Daniel Cormier was shocked to see Khamzat Chimaev have success at UFC 319 with a move he warns against. Chimaev has experienced nothing but victory in mixed martial arts, and that trend continued all the way to title glory in the sport’s leading promotion this past Saturday.

Khamzat Chimaev was completely dominant in his victory over Dricus du Plessis to become middleweight champion at UFC 319 but he also faced criticism for not taking more risks and instead mostly just relying on his wrestling for takedowns and control time to win the fight.