De Ridder defeats Whittaker with split decision at UFC Abu Dhabi | Mixed Martial Arts News
Reinier de Ridder survives a brutal knockdown to win slightly with Robert Whitaker in the main event, which took place at Etihad Arina in the UAE.
Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest victory of his octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi and narrowly secured a split decision in the fierce battle against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the UAE Etihad Arina.
De Ridder (21-2) won his third victory in 2025, beating the Australians through a split decision. Two of the three judges won a 48-47 match at 84kg (185 pounds) at De Ridder, while the third scored 48-47 at Whittaker.
“I don’t want to fight like this (Whittaker), man, this guy was too tough,” De Lidar said in a postwar interview on Saturday. “I was hoping to get him down. He was very tough and very durable. He had heavy f******’s hands.”
The Dutch fighter had to survive a brutal knockdown in the third round when Whittaker dropped him to the chin with his right hand.
De Ridder managed to withstand the attack and strengthened the overall advantage of the strike. According to official UFC statistics, De Ridder landed in a total of 169 compared to Whittaker’s 100.
Throughout the five-round battle, the pair was rarely separated. When the final bell rang, the split decision reflected the proximity of the contest.
De Ridder’s victory was his fourth ultimate combat championship career victory. Whittaker (27-9) has now lost two and three straights out of his latest five fights.
Following his victory, De Ridar ranked 13th in the Battle of Whittaker, calling for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship match between Doricus du Plessis and Kamza Chimayev at UFC 319 on August 16th.
“I would rather fight Khamzat (Chimaev) or Dricus (Du Plessis) because I want to finish the guy in the first round. Give me a title shot.”
In the joint main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petruyan defeated Marcus McGee by a unanimous decision. Yang outperformed his opponents with total strikes, serious strikes, control and takedowns.
In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional defeat against Michael Page in February, beating Mark Andre Baria by unanimous decision. Magomedov scored 30-27 from all three judges.