UFC Abu Dhabi headliner Reinier de Ridder had to overcome an imposing two-division champ for his first taste of world championship glory. De Ridder is currently in pursuit of the UFC middleweight title after signing with MMA’s leading promotion in 2024. He’s gotten off to a strong start, winning all three of his Octagon appearances to date.

Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder were both on point without any problems with the middleweights hitting the scale early Friday morning in Abu Dhabi. The main event was made official after de Ridder was the first fighter to weigh in with the former two-division champion from ONE coming in at 186 pounds.

On Episode 3,585, the guys welcome in UFC middleweight Reinier de Ridder, who takes on former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9. The fellas also recap UFC 318, which went down in New Orleans, featuring Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway for the BMF title. Tune in!

In his toughest test in the UFC to date, Reinier de Ridder hopes to make a statement against Robert Whittaker when they face off in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. It’s well known that ‘The Dutch Knight’ is an incredibly dangerous submission specialist once the fight hits the floor.

UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder is leaning towards predicting Dricus du Plessis defeating Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 319.