Reinier De Ridder emerged victorious in a middleweight bout against Robert Whittaker in the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The outcome was uncertain until the final moments. Both fighters unleashed a barrage of powerful strikes in the late rounds, making it a tough call. In the end, De Ridder’s performance was enough to clinch the victory via a split decision, extending his winning streak to five fights and maintaining his undefeated record this year.
For Whittaker, this was a chance to redeem himself after a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024. It was his first fight of the year, and he was determined to bounce back. However, De Ridder’s formidable skills proved to be a significant challenge for the former champion.
Here is how the UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. De Ridder card played out from Abu Dhabi:
UFC Fight Night results
Final results from UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.
Main Card
Reinier De Ridder defeats Robert Whittaker by split decision
Petr Yan defeats Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision
Shara Magomedov defeats Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision
Asu Almabayev defeats Jose Ochoa by unanimous decision
Bogdan Guskov defeats Nikita Krylov by first-round KO
Prelims
Martin Dubay defeats Marcus Buchecha by unanimous decision
Steven Nguyen defeats Mohammad Yahya by TKO in round 2
Billy Elekana defeats Ibo Aslan by unanimous decision
Tabatha Ricci defeats Amanda Ribas by TKO
Davey Grant defeats Da’Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision
Muslim Salikhov defeats Carlos Leal by TKO
Bryce Mitchell defeats Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision