Reinier de Ridder delivered the most significant victory of his UFC career at UFC Abu Dhabi, defeating former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker by split decision in a closely contested battle at the Etihad Arena.
De Ridder (21-2) claimed his third victory of 2025 against the Australian veteran, with two judges scoring the middleweight bout 48-47 in his favor while the third judge scored it 48-47 for Whittaker.
“I don’t want to fight like this man, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder said in his post-fight interview Saturday. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy hands.”
The Dutch fighter faced a significant challenge in round three when Whittaker dropped him with a right hand to the chin within the opening minute. Despite the knockdown, de Ridder recovered and demonstrated superior output throughout the contest, landing 169 total strikes compared to Whittaker’s 100 according to official UFC statistics.
De Ridder regained control in the final two rounds, methodically wearing down the 34-year-old former champion with repeated knees to the body and consistent grappling exchanges. The five-round affair remained competitive throughout, with the split decision accurately reflecting the narrow margins between both fighters.
The victory marked de Ridder’s fourth UFC win, while Whittaker (27-9) suffered his second consecutive defeat and third loss in his last five outings.
Following his upset victory, de Ridder, who entered the fight ranked 13th in the division, immediately called for a title opportunity against the winner of the upcoming middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.
“I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat or Dricus. Give me my title shot,” de Ridder stated.
The co-main event featured former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan securing a unanimous decision victory over Marcus McGhee. Yan controlled the fight across multiple metrics, outperforming his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control time, and takedowns.
In additional middleweight action, Shara Magomedov rebounded from his first professional loss to Michael Page in February by earning a unanimous decision victory over Marc-Andre Barriault. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in favor of Magomedov.
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