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USA Today
a day ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili: Projected matchup says a lot about bantamweight division
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili: Projected matchup says a lot about bantamweight division UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is confused by the rumored matchmaking for Petr Yan's next fight. While not yet official, Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to face Marcus McGhee (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) on July 26 at UFC on ABC 9 from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, according to reports. His most recent loss came to Dvalishvili in March 2023. With the former bantamweight champion coming off back-to-back wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo, Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) expected him to be in the title picture, not fighting backwards. "This is a tough fight actually. The Marcus guy is strong, he looked good, it's a tough test for Petr Yan," Dvalishvili told Helen Yee. "Wow, I thought he was fighting for the belt, and now he has to fight another contender. That means that our division is very stuck, and it's not easy to fight for the belt. Good luck to him. Of course, I will be cheering him. We fought, and I always try to cheer the guys I fought. So, it's going to be a tough test for him, but I'm sure he will get it." Dvalishvili runs things back with Sean O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) in Saturday's UFC 316 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. If he can get past O'Malley a second time, he sees one particular contender as an option for his next title defense. "I think right now (Cory) Sandhagen is ready, and we never fought each other," Dvalishvili said. "Maybe, I'm not sure. Whatever the UFC will decide. Whatever UFC thinks the fresh guy and the most deserving guy (is), I will fight."
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC on ABC 9
Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC on ABC 9 Robert Whittaker will aim to halt another rising middleweight contender at UFC on ABC 9. Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder preview Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 last October, a setback which resulted in the former middleweight champion needing dental surgery. Prior to that, Whittaker scored back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov. Unbeaten in the octagon, De Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) handed the highly touted Bo Nickal his first career loss when he finished him by second-round TKO at UFC on ESPN 67 earlier this month. The former ONE middleweight and light heavyweight champion has finished 18 of his 20 professional wins. Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder odds According to FanDuel, former UFC champion Whittaker is a moderate -188 favorite to beat former ONE dual-champion De Ridder, who's a +146 underdog. How to watch Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder at UFC on ABC 9 Where: Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi Broadcast/streaming: ESPN, ESPN+ When: Saturday, July 26, 2025
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Reinier de Ridder aims to earn UFC title shot by submitting Robert Whittaker
Reinier de Ridder aims to earn UFC title shot by submitting Robert Whittaker Reinier de Ridder could find himself as No. 1 contender in less than one year with the UFC. De Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) draws former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) in the UFC on ABC 9 main event July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Whittaker required dental surgery after suffering a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 last October. De Ridder isn't ready to write off Whittaker after his quick loss to Chimaev. "The Ikram (Aliskerov) fight is not that long ago, and he looked amazing in that one," De Ridder told MMA Junkie. "The Khamzat fight was a bit unfortunate, I think, with the injury he came into it with. But he's still there, very explosive, very dangerous dude. So I'm going to get into camp as soon as possible and get ready." A submission specialist, De Ridder showed off his hands when he finished formerly unbeaten Bo Nickal by TKO at UFC on ESPN 67 earlier this month. Despite the new wrinkles in his game, the former ONE dual-champion plans on choking out Whittaker. "It's an interesting one to prepare for because there's not a lot of guys with his style and his standup," De Ridder said of Whittaker. "Very explosive, likes to leap in, hands low, good punches, good kicks. So it's not an easy one to prepare for in any way, shape, or form. We'll see where it goes. You'll see me do the same thing I always do: Put the pressure, get close, try to hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out. That's the plan." If De Ridder can get another finish over Whittaker, he hopes to position himself in title contention and face the winner of the title fight between middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 headliner on Aug. 16. "It's crazy, so cool to get another shot like this," De Ridder said of fighting Whittaker. "If I just keep making good on all these opportunities, I think I have a good chance to fight for the title in a little while here."
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Robert Whittaker explains how UFC Abu Dhabi headliner vs. Reinier de Ridder came to be
Robert Whittaker explains how UFC Abu Dhabi headliner vs. Reinier de Ridder came to be Robert Whittaker did not expect to draw Reinier de Ridder for his next UFC fight. Former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will face De Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the UFC on ABC 9 headliner July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Both Whittaker and De Ridder were angling to face Sean Strickland next, but wound up being matched up against each other. "I told my manager, 'Speak to them, tell them I'm looking for late June, early July. International Fight Week looks good, let's get something,'" Whittaker said on his "MMArcade Podcast." "And I was also kind of mentioning Strickland at the time. We're both up there, it makes sense, we've never fought, let's get it done. They came back to me and said, 'Strickland is only just getting back into training. We can try and get that fight to happen, but we don't know when it's going to happen, but (Roman) Dolidze is ready and willing.' I was like, done. Sign me up. Let's go. "I thought I was getting ready for late June, which was in Baku. Then they were like, 'Rob, hold tight, things are moving.' A lot of moving parts. ... Then literally four days ago, they're like, 'RDR, De Ridder, main event, Abu Dhabi, July 26.' I was like, what happened to the other one? I don't know what happened to anything. All I know is the date fit. I understand he's not in the top 10 yet, but he just beat Bo Nickal, he's a good, hard fight, he had two titles in ONE, he's a hard fight. I'm sure he'll be in the top 10 before long. He's a top 10 fighter, competitor at least. That's a hard fight, let's do it. July is a good time, done. So, I just said yes straight away." De Ridder isn't the top-ranked contender that will necessarily get Whittaker back in the title picture right away, but he's coming off plenty of momentum after handing the highly touted Bo Nickal his first-career loss at UFC on ESPN 67 earlier this month. Whittaker takes inspiration from his fellow Aussies who currently hold UFC gold as he looks to wrap up his career on top. "I'm looking forward to it," Whittaker said. "I want to get back in there, and I want to get back in that winning column. I've got some things, I understand I don't want to fight forever. I've got a couple years left in my career, and I want that fairytale ending. Especially after seeing Volk, and now JDM get up, I want that fairytale ending. I want to work my way up to the title, win the belt, and sail off into the sunset. That's the dream I'm pushing and fighting for right now."
USA Today
08-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan books ADXC 10 grappling match in May
UFC contender Arman Tsarukyan books ADXC 10 grappling match in May Arman Tsarukyan is remaining busy as he awaits his next UFC fight. Tsarukyan will compete against former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Freire in a catchweight grappling match to headline ADXC 10 on May 31 at Voleybol'naya Arena in Moscow, promotion officials announced Wednesday. Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defeated Makasharip Zaynukov in a 175-pound grappling match this past week at Karate Combat 54 in Dubai. He recently revealed he turned down an offer to face a lower-ranked opponent for the upcoming UFC on ABC 9 headliner July 26 in Abu Dhabi, an offer he found disrespectful. The unexpected matchup likely came due to the 28-year-old withdrawing from his title fight vs. lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January. A far-from-pleased Dana White said Tsarukyan will have to re-earn his No. 1 contender spot, a condition Tsarukyan was OK with.
