At UFC 319 on August 16, Khamzat Chimaev defeated Dricus Du Plessis to win the UFC Middleweight Championship. The 185-pound division is stacked with top-tier talent, but who will be the first one to challenge the new champion, Chimaev?
There are two huge Middleweight matchups in the next two months. No. 1 Nassourdine Imavov is taking on No. 7 Caio Borralho on September 6 in Paris, France. While No. 5 Reinier de Ridder is facing No. 6 Anthony Hernadez on October 18 in Vancouver, Canada.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, you can get the odds for all four potential opponents for Chimaev. The champion is a massive favorite against all four of them. Chimaev is a -600 favorite while Imavov is a +440 underdog. Even though Imavov is ranked as the No. 1 Middleweight contender, he has the second-longest odds against the champion.
Caio Borralho is +410, as Chimaev is a -550 favorite in this potential matchup. Surprisingly, Chimaev is the biggest favorite against Reinier de Ridder, who recently beat Robert Whittaker. Chimaev is a -700 favorite, with RDR being a +500 underdog.
Finally, the new champion is -455 on DraftKings Sportsbook against Anthony Hernandez, who, although he is a +350 underdog, has the best odds to dethrone Chimaev.
