Written by Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Robert Whittaker is back.
The UFC announced on Saturday that the former middleweight champ faces Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. The Fight Night card takes place July 26 at Etihad Arena. Setanta Sports first reported the matchup being in the works for an undisclosed date and location on Twitter.
Whittaker looks to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in the co-main event of UFC 308 in October. “The Reaper” began his 2024 campaign with a first-round knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov in the headliner of UFC Saudi Arabia this past June. The No. 7 ranked middleweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings had his hand raised in three of his past five outings.
De Ridder remains incredibly active since joining the UFC roster. The former ONE two-division champion is 3-0 inside the octagon, stopping Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and — most recently at UFC Des Moines earlier this month — Bo Nickal. The No. 13 ranked 185-pounder in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings enters his first UFC main event on a four-fight win streak.
According to the UFC website, the prelims for UFC Abu Dhabi are currently scheduled to begin at Noon ET, with the main card kicking off at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+