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USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Miesha Tate undecided on UFC future: 'There is no right or wrong answer'
Miesha Tate undecided on UFC future: 'There is no right or wrong answer' Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate is unsure if she'll ever fight again. After a 17-month layoff, Tate (20-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) returned against Yana Santos at UFC on ESPN 67 from Des Moines, Iowa earlier this month. She suffered a unanimous decision loss, marking the third setback in her past four fights. Tate explained that in her submission win over Julia Avila in December 2023, she suffered an injury that caused the long layoff. "I had my hooks in on her back, one of which was a bit shallow, and I really went to be very aggressive and try to force her from back to belly, belly down, and I ripped two if my ligaments, and I had to have reconstructive surgery," Tate said in an Instagram post. "It was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do. "It was harder than coming back after having my two kids, and I, at multiple points, bawled my eyes out and thought I would never be able to fight again, which I really wanted to have that fight. And off of an 18-month layoff, the biggest injury of my career, I can honestly say that I am happy with this performance, and I am happy even in a loss." Tate is not ready to commit to retirement but said her walk against Santos may have been her final one. "I am not making any final decisions," Tate said. "Remains to be seen whether I will fight again or not. I'm not going to clarify either one of those because I think there is no right or wrong answer."
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."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former champ Robert Whittaker returns for UFC Abu Dhabi headliner vs. Reinier de Ridder
Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker is back for a key middleweight main event. On July 26, Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) will face Reinier de Ridder to headline the UFC's return to Abu Dhabi. The promotion officially announced the matchup Saturday, prior to UFC 315. Advertisement Whittaker gets his first assignment of 2025 and will look to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October at UFC 308. "The Reaper" underwent dental surgery for the damage caused during the fight, which has kept him on the sidelines. The result ended a two-fight run of victories: a unanimous decision over Paulo Costa and a Performance of the Night stoppage of Ikram Aliskerov. Recently, Whittaker said he wanted to return in June against Sean Strickland, but de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) earned himself a big fight after an impressive outing against Bo Nickal at UFC on ESPN 67. The former ONE Championship titleholder finished the national champion wrestler in the second round to extend his winning streak to four. De Ridder is unbeaten in the UFC and has stopped every opponent he's faced thus far. Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Nickal were stopped before the final horn. The stoppage over Nickal earned de Ridder his first $50,000 bonus. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder headlines UFC Abu Dhabi event
