Renier de Ridder calls out Khamzat Chimaev after UFC loss.
12 hours ago7 min read1 comments

Renier de Ridder, in a move that felt more like a desperate Hail Mary than a calculated callout, has launched a verbal assault on Khamzat Chimaev following his shocking technical knockout loss to Brendan Allen at UFC Fight Night 262 in Vancouver. The defeat, which saw de Ridder fail to answer the bell for the fifth round, was a brutal reality check for the previously undefeated fighter, shattering his pristine 4-0 record in the promotion and exposing a vulnerability he can no longer hide.In the immediate, raw aftermath, de Ridder took to social media, his words dripping with the venom of a man whose invincibility had just been publicly stripped away, calling Chimaev a 'cowardly rat' who is 'spineless and helpless,' and accusing him of months of evasion while boasting of his own five-fight year. This is the kind of post-loss bravado we see often in football, akin to a manager blaming the referee after a 3-0 thrashing; it's a deflection tactic, an attempt to control a narrative that is rapidly spiraling away.The statistics, however, don't lie and they paint a damning picture for de Ridder. To go from an untouchable prospect to a fighter who couldn't continue is a fall as dramatic as any legendary team's collapse in a championship final.His promise to 'take the title' from Chimaev now rings hollow, the words lacking the foundational strength they possessed just hours before. It’s one thing to talk like a champion when you’re winning, but true legacy is built on how you respond to a loss, much like a star player missing a penalty and then having the mental fortitude to step up again in the next match.Chimaev, for his part, has already fired back with characteristic brutality, dismissing de Ridder as a 'shitty guy who quit,' and in doing so, he’s effectively taken the microphone and dropped it. This escalating feud, born from de Ridder's shattered aura, sets up a fascinating, albeit now lopsided, dynamic.Before the Allen fight, a bout with Chimaev was a tantalizing prospect between two rising forces. Now, it feels like de Ridder is screaming for a life raft from a man who is already sailing toward a title shot, his callout seeming less like a challenge and more like a plea for relevance. The path back for de Ridder is no longer a straight line to the top; it's a grueling rebuild, a test of character that will define his career far more than his four initial victories ever could.