De Ridder defeats Whittaker by split decision in Abu Dhabi
De Ridder (21-2-0 MMA) earned a 48-47 margin from two judges, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby, while Mike Bell was the lone judge to give the edge to Whittaker (27-9-0 MMA) at 48-47.
Whittaker landed a big knockdown with a strike in the third round of the middleweight match, but de Ridder recovered and dominated the stat sheet. De Ridder landed 192 total strikes, while Whittaker connected on only 70. Additionally, de Ridder recorded two takedowns.
'I expected to take him down and choke him out,' de Ridder said. 'He was amazing. So tough, so durable, heavy f--ing hands.'
The 34-year-old continues to rise up the ranks in the middleweight division, picking up his fourth straight UFC win and fifth MMA victory in a row.
Elsewhere on the main card, Bogdan Guskov (18-3-0 MMA) knocked out Nikita Krylov (30-11-0 MMA) 4:18 into the first round of their light heavyweight matchup. It is the fourth consecutive win by either knockout or submission for the Uzbekistani.
Petr Yan (19-5-0 MMA) defeated Marcus McGhee (10-2-0 MMA) by unanimous decision in a bantamweight clash. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.
In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov (16-1-0 MMA) bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page (23-3-0 MMA) in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault (17-10-0 MMA) by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.
Flyweight competitor Asu Almabayev (22-3-0 MMA) also won by unanimous decision, defeating 24-year-old Peruvian Jose Ochoa (8-2-0 MMA). Ochoa battled, landing 118 total strikes, but Almabayev controlled the fight with seven takedowns.
In the prelims, Muslim Salikhov (22-5-0 MMA) landed the highlight of the night, knocking out opponent Carlos Leal (22-7-0 MMA) in only 42 seconds in their welterweight fight.
Earlier, Whittaker ha dlost his fight against Chimaev in October.
Chimaev needed just one takedown to dominate Whittaker with relentless grappling, ultimately securing the position for a submission. Locking his arms around Whittaker's jaw, Chimaev tightened his grip, prompting an almost immediate tap-out.
The bout concluded at 3:34 of the first round, moving Chimaev's undefeated record to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the UFC.
Following the fight, Whittaker disclosed that he had likely suffered a dislocated jaw due to the submission. With this victory, 'Borz' strengthens his position as a top contender in the middleweight division.
After the victory, Chimaev directly called for a title shot, stating, 'I'm coming for the belt.' Reflecting on his fight, he said, 'When I took him down, I controlled him in that position and got the choke in. I submitted him so quickly.'
Chimaev also praised Abu Dhabi, calling it the best city in the world: 'Abu Dhabi safe and an amazing place. There are a lot of different things happening here for the future, for kids, and for life. I've been here many times, and now I live here. It's the best place.'
Speaking about the fans, he added, 'They were amazing, supporting me a lot. From day one I fought here, I felt their support, and I still feel it.'
Meanwhiel, in the main card fights, Sharaputdin Magomedov maintained his unbeaten record with a TKO win over Armen Petrosyan, delivering a double backfist finish at 4:52 of Round 2.
In another bout, Magomed Ankalaev put on a striking masterclass to secure a unanimous decision victory against Aleksandar Rakić. Additionally, Lerone Murphy extended his impressive undefeated streak with a win over Dan Ige. With UFC 308 living up to its billing, Abu Dhabi Showdown Week came to a stunning close, delivering plenty of thrilling moments for the fans who flew into the UAE capital from all over the world, as well as for residents.
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Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
De Ridder defeats Whittaker by split decision in Abu Dhabi
Reinier de Ridder took home a split-decision victory Saturday over Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Abu Dhabi. De Ridder (21-2-0 MMA) earned a 48-47 margin from two judges, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby, while Mike Bell was the lone judge to give the edge to Whittaker (27-9-0 MMA) at 48-47. Whittaker landed a big knockdown with a strike in the third round of the middleweight match, but de Ridder recovered and dominated the stat sheet. De Ridder landed 192 total strikes, while Whittaker connected on only 70. Additionally, de Ridder recorded two takedowns. 'I expected to take him down and choke him out,' de Ridder said. 'He was amazing. So tough, so durable, heavy f--ing hands.' The 34-year-old continues to rise up the ranks in the middleweight division, picking up his fourth straight UFC win and fifth MMA victory in a row. Elsewhere on the main card, Bogdan Guskov (18-3-0 MMA) knocked out Nikita Krylov (30-11-0 MMA) 4:18 into the first round of their light heavyweight matchup. It is the fourth consecutive win by either knockout or submission for the Uzbekistani. Petr Yan (19-5-0 MMA) defeated Marcus McGhee (10-2-0 MMA) by unanimous decision in a bantamweight clash. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns. In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov (16-1-0 MMA) bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page (23-3-0 MMA) in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault (17-10-0 MMA) by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges. Flyweight competitor Asu Almabayev (22-3-0 MMA) also won by unanimous decision, defeating 24-year-old Peruvian Jose Ochoa (8-2-0 MMA). Ochoa battled, landing 118 total strikes, but Almabayev controlled the fight with seven takedowns. In the prelims, Muslim Salikhov (22-5-0 MMA) landed the highlight of the night, knocking out opponent Carlos Leal (22-7-0 MMA) in only 42 seconds in their welterweight fight. Earlier, Whittaker ha dlost his fight against Chimaev in October. Chimaev needed just one takedown to dominate Whittaker with relentless grappling, ultimately securing the position for a submission. Locking his arms around Whittaker's jaw, Chimaev tightened his grip, prompting an almost immediate tap-out. The bout concluded at 3:34 of the first round, moving Chimaev's undefeated record to 14-0 overall and 8-0 in the UFC. Following the fight, Whittaker disclosed that he had likely suffered a dislocated jaw due to the submission. With this victory, 'Borz' strengthens his position as a top contender in the middleweight division. After the victory, Chimaev directly called for a title shot, stating, 'I'm coming for the belt.' Reflecting on his fight, he said, 'When I took him down, I controlled him in that position and got the choke in. I submitted him so quickly.' Chimaev also praised Abu Dhabi, calling it the best city in the world: 'Abu Dhabi safe and an amazing place. There are a lot of different things happening here for the future, for kids, and for life. I've been here many times, and now I live here. It's the best place.' Speaking about the fans, he added, 'They were amazing, supporting me a lot. From day one I fought here, I felt their support, and I still feel it.' Meanwhiel, in the main card fights, Sharaputdin Magomedov maintained his unbeaten record with a TKO win over Armen Petrosyan, delivering a double backfist finish at 4:52 of Round 2. In another bout, Magomed Ankalaev put on a striking masterclass to secure a unanimous decision victory against Aleksandar Rakić. Additionally, Lerone Murphy extended his impressive undefeated streak with a win over Dan Ige. With UFC 308 living up to its billing, Abu Dhabi Showdown Week came to a stunning close, delivering plenty of thrilling moments for the fans who flew into the UAE capital from all over the world, as well as for residents.
Al Etihad
2 days ago
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UFC mulls regional series for Middle East fighters
27 July 2025 23:33 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)Reinier de Ridder claimed the biggest victory of his MMA career on Saturday night, outpointing former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the headline bout of UFC Fight Night at the Etihad Arena. The shock result capped an action-packed 12-fight card and ended with renewed optimism about the sport's growth in the Gulf UFC's Senior Vice-President, David Shaw, confirmed post-event that the promotion is actively exploring the idea of launching a regional feeder programme in some shape or name, like a 'Road to UFC (RTU) or a challenger series of some sorts or anything else.' The concept could open new pathways for aspiring fighters from the Middle East and surrounding countries.'A concept like RTU would make a lot of sense, I think,' Shaw said. 'Even this season, it's the first time we've added non-Asian athletes. We had Kiwis and Aussies in the mix, so opening that up to fighters from the Middle East or Gulf countries is very much in the conversation. But no definitive plans yet.'Shaw suggested that such a move would align with the UFC's broader strategy of expanding its global footprint through off-prime events tailored to regional time zones. 'We've talked about our eight off-prime events – six of which are generally aligned with the UK, Europe, and Middle East time zones. There are a lot of great countries that we've been to before and hope to revisit,' he said. Inside the octagon, Dutchman de Ridder proved a dominant force against the heavily favoured Whittaker, controlling the pace to earn a split decision. The result raised questions about Whittaker's future in the division and boosted de Ridder's case for a title run. It was to be the beginning of the end for Whittaker, but the end seemed to have come at the start of the American's one last-ditch comeback mission to reclaim the middleweight division title. Despite his last match ending in defeat – in ugly fashion with three of his teeth taken out – Whittaker was the sentimental favourite purely on his vast it was the fairly raw Ridder who fought smart against Whittaker. Having appeared in five fights in exactly a year, starting from Abu Dhabi this time last year, De Ridder took a heavy beating in the third round, but pinned down Whittaker in the next two rounds into submission while landing small but consistent jabs with more ground control time.'I will be relaxing for a couple weeks and then we'll see [who could be a possible next rival],' said de Ridder. 'But we will see what happens. There's a lot going on in the middleweight division in the next couple of weeks.'De Ridder acknowledged Abu Dhabi's role in clearing him from the legal battle with his former promotion ONE Championship while notching his fourth successive victory in UFC since his debut. 'Habibi. Abu Dhabi. Shukran. I love you guys,' he said immediately after the fight. 'I'm a top-five fighter in the world, I guess. That's crazy. Who can believe it? And in one year! I think I have a good chance fighting for the title someday soon,' he UAE connection had a bitter-sweet evening as Emirati lightweight Mohammad Yahya lost to Stephen Nguyen, the latter notching up a record six knockdowns and earning the Fight of the Night award as a bonus. Still, Shaw acknowledged the need for structured development platforms in the region to take some shape, like the Road to UFC. The UAE, for instance, held a Showdown Week, which included a dual card 61&62 of the UAE Warriors promotion while introducing an inter-continental title between African and Arab fighters. The UAE's Al Ain region is hosting back-to-back the MMA Youth World Championship and the World Grappling Championship. While talks are ongoing, Shaw confirmed that it is part of the agenda for the UFC team behind an ever-evolving schedule. 'It's reasonable to think it's possible,' he said. 'When we are back to the war room every Tuesday, I'm sure Dana [White, president] and the crew will figure it out.'
Al Etihad
2 days ago
- Al Etihad
De Ridder beats Whittaker in split decision at UFC Abu Dhabi
27 July 2025 16:19 ABU DHAB (WAM)Reinier de Ridder secured a split-decision victory over Robert Whittaker in the UFC Fight Night at the Etihad Arena on Saturday night."I expected to take him down and choke him out," de Ridder said. 'He was amazing. So tough, so durable, heavy hands.' It was De Ridder's fourth straight victory in UFC after recording wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal, all without going the distance.
