Latest news with #DeRidder
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."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Foreign target reportedly trending away from Iowa basketball
A foreign basketball target for Iowa is reportedly trending in another direction. Thijs De Ridder, a 6-foot-8 power forward, had been linked to the Hawkeyes. The Belgian native plays for Spanish squad Surne Bilbao Basket of the Endesa League where he's averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while shooting 58.5% from the field, 30.0% from 3-point range and 61.3% from the free-throw line. Advertisement De Ridder also has experience playing with the Belgium National Team. While Iowa was regarded as a finalist, Spanish basketball journalist Chema de Lucas reports that it looks like De Ridder will be heading to Virginia. Per Chema de Lucas, Providence, Connecticut, and Kansas State were also in the mix. Iowa has already landed transfer portal commitments from Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Isaia Howard, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu, Kansas State transfer guard Brendan Hausen and Robert Morris transfer forward Alvaro Folgueiras. With forward Cooper Koch also returning, the Hawkeyes still need to finish filling out their first roster under head coach Ben McCollum. Iowa has hosted High Point transfer guard Kezza Giffa and Florida International transfer guard Ashton Williamson for visits in the past two weeks. Advertisement A 6-foot-2, 165-pound guard, Giffa averaged 14.6 points, 2.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range and 85.1% from the free-throw line. Williamson, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard, averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in 33 games with 16 starts. Williamson shot 39.4% from the field, 32.9% from 3-point range and 67.6% from the free-throw line. Maybe Iowa can still make a late push at De Ridder to bolster its frontcourt before he finalizes a move to Virginia. Here's a look at some of De Ridder's highlights while with the Belgium National Team: Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Josh on X: @JoshOnREF This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Foreign target reportedly trending away from Iowa basketball
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bobby Knux Favored To Rein In De Ridder
Former UFC middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, will defend his spot in the division Top 5 when he collides with red-hot submission specialist, Reinier de Ridder, atop the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi MMA event on both ESPN and ABC, recently made official for Sat., July 26, 2025 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Whittaker opened as the -175 betting favorite, according to against +150 for the underdog, De Ridder. Don't be surprised to see those numbers change — or flip completely — as we get closer to fight night. Elsewhere on the card, Shara Magomedov is the -260 favorite over Marc-Andre Barriault (+220). Advertisement '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,' Whittaker said on his MMArcade podcast. '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.' Whittaker (26-8) is looking to rebound from his first-round submission loss to middleweight title challenger Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 back in October. As for De Ridder (20-2), also 34, he improved to 3-0 under the UFC banner by stopping wrestling phenom Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines earlier this month in Iowa. 'I want to get back in there, back in that winning column,' Whittaker continued. '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 [Alexander Volkanovski], and now [Jack Della Maddalena] 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.' Expect more UFC Abu Dhabi fight card announcements in the coming weeks. Advertisement More from
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."
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Abu Dhabi will be headlined by Robert Whittaker
The UFC is returning to Abu Dhabi on July 26th for a fight night and today, the promotion announced the main event. Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8) is returning and he'll be taking on top contender Reinier De Ridder (20-2). This is huge news for De Ridder and it's a fight that he truly deserves. The former ONE FC two-division champion made his octagon debut last fall and has gone an impressive 3-0 with three finishes. A week ago today, De Ridder halted the hype train of Bo Nickal when he stopped him in the second round at UFC Des Moines. After the fight, he called for a fight with Sean Strickland but I think he'll be happy with facing another former champion. Advertisement For Whittaker, this will be his first fight since his fight against Khamzat Chimaev last October. In that fight, Whittaker was taken down in the first round and Chimaev locked up a rear naked choke which was on the chin and forced Whittaker to tap due to the damage it was doing to his teeth. That loss came on the heels of his quick stoppage win over Ikram Aliskerov. This is a huge fight for the middleweight division. Related Headlines
