Many wondered just who this Reinier de Ridder person was when he arrived in the UFC following a champion run with ONE. But nobody is questioning him now.
De Ridder knocked off former UFC champion Robert Whittaker in a razor-close five-round battle that headlined the UFC on ABC event from Abu Dhabi. After 25 minutes of action, de Ridder was awarded the split decision.
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For the 34-year-old, it was one of the biggest wins of his career. Prior to joining the UFC, de Ridder was a middleweight and light heavyweight champion in ONE, a top promotion based out of Asia. He made his UFC debut in 2024 and is 4-0 since with three finishes.
The co-main event saw former champion Petr Yan top Marcus McGhee, as Sharabutdin Magomedov, Asu Almabayev and Bogdan Guskov were also main card winners.
Magomedov and Marc-Andre Barriault earned “Fight of the Night” while Muslim Salikhov and Steven Nguyen picked up “Performance of the Night” bonuses.
UFC Abu Dhabi Results
- Reinier de Ridder def. Robert Whittaker via split decision
- Petr Yan def. Marcus McGhee via unanimous decision
- Sharabutdin Magomedov def. Marc-Andre Barriault via unanimous decision
- Asu Almabayev def. Jose Ochoa via unanimous decision
- Bogdan Guskov def. Nikita Krylov via KO (strike) at 4:18 of Round 1
- Bryce Mitchell def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision
- Muslim Shalikhov def. Carlos Leal Miranda via KO (strike) at :42 of Round 1
- Davey Grant def. Da’Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision
- Tabatha Ricci def. Amanda Ribas via TKO (strikes) at 2:59 of Round 2
- Billy Elekana def. Ibo Aslan via unanimous decision
- Steven Nguyen def. Mohammad Yahya via TKO (eye injury) at 5:00 of Round 2
- Martin Buday def. Marcus Buchecha via unanimous decision
