The UFC world is gearing up for an electrifying middleweight showdown at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2025. According to the latest reports, former champion Robert Whittaker aims to bounce back from a recent setback, to take on Reinier de Ridder in a main event that promises high stakes and a lot of action. With both fighters hungry to cement their paths towards title contention, this fight will be something special to see.
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Robert Whittaker (27-8-0) is ready to reclaim his spot among middleweight elites. The 34 year old Australian, known for his precise striking, suffered a first round submission loss against the great Khamzat Chimaev, in October of 2024. Chimaev crushed the Aussie, as Whittaker’s face cranked which was followed by an immediate takedown, which displaced his teeth and halted his momentum after wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov. Now, Whittaker faces a dangerous opponent in Reinier de Riddler, looking to prove that he’s still a threat.
Reinier de Ridder (20-2-0) enters with an unstoppable momentum. The Dutch fighter, a former ONE Championship double champion, scored a stunning second-round knockout over Bo Nickal in April, 2025, which may arguably be the biggest win of his career. Since joining the UFC in 2024, de Ridder has gone 3-0 in under six months, highlighting his elite grappling skills (13-0 wins via submission) and improved striking. The 34 year old aims to crack the top-10 in terms of rankings, and remove Whittaker from the 5th spot.
The UFC recently announced this fight, and the middleweight divisions seems to have a lot of fights coming up, with middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis giving us a near guarantee about his timeline to take on Khamzat Chimaev for his next title defense fight.
Whittaker’s experience is going to come handy against a fighter like Ridder, who has looked unstoppable in the UFC so far. Will Whittaker get back to the winning column or will Ridder continue his hot start in the UFC? UFC Fight Night at Abu Dhabi will unpack all the heat soon on July 26th!
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