De Ridder Edges Whittaker in Split Decision Thriller at UFC Abu Dhabi
reinier de Ridder secured a pivotal victory at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly defeating former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker via split decision in a grueling main event clash at the Etihad Arena in the united Arab Emirates.
De Ridder (21-2) earned his third win of 2025 against the Australian contender. Two of the three judges scored the 84kg (185-pound) bout 48-47 in favor of de Ridder, with the third judge scoring it 48-47 for Whittaker.
“I don’t want to fight like this, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder stated in his post-fight interview. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy f hands.”
The Dutch fighter faced a critical moment in the third round when Whittaker landed a powerful right hand to the chin, resulting in a knockdown. De Ridder, though, managed to recover adn ultimately asserted his dominance in striking, landing 169 strikes to Whittaker’s 100, according to official UFC statistics. He then weathered the storm and secured the win by wearing down the 34-year-old Whittaker with repeated knees to the body and consistent grappling over the final two rounds.
The five-round contest was a closely contested affair, with the split decision reflecting the tight nature of the fight. This marks de Ridder’s fourth career victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Whittaker (27-9) has now suffered two consecutive losses and three defeats in his last five outings.Following his win, de Ridder, who entered the fight ranked 13th, called for a middleweight title shot against the winner of the upcoming 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,” he declared.
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision, outperforming his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control, and takedowns.
Simultaneously occurring, in a middleweight bout, Shara Magomedov rebounded from his first professional loss to Michael Page in February, securing a unanimous decision victory over Marc-Andre Barriault. Magomedov was awarded a 30-27 score by all three judges.
