Abu Dhabi: UFC, the world's premier mixed martial arts organisation, in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), returns to the UAE capital with an epic middleweight fight as No.5 ranked Robert Whittaker takes on rising star Reinier de Ridder on Saturday, 26 July, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
According to Emirates News Agency, former champion Whittaker (27-8-0, fighting out of New South Wales, Australia) is one of the UFC's most respected middleweights, having risen to prominence with victories over Yoel Romero, Jared Cannonier, and Marvin Vettori. Whittaker is looking to return to the win column with a performance against the Dutchman.
De Ridder (20-2-0, fighting out of Breda, Netherlands) has rapidly established himself as one of UFC's promising middleweight contenders. Since joining the promotion in late 2024, he has showcased his grappling and finishing abilities. Most recently, de Ridder delivered a win by handing Bo Nickal his first professional loss. De Ridder aims to continue his win streak with a victory over the former champion.
Additional bouts on the card include a light heavyweight match-up between Nikita Krylov (30-10-0, fighting out of Kislovodsk, Russia) and Bogdan Guskov (17-3-0, fighting out of Dukent, Uzbekistan), who is looking to continue his win streak. In the flyweight division, Ramazan Temirov (19-3-0, fighting out of Karshi, Uzbekistan) will face Asu Almabayev (21-3-0, fighting out of Almaty, Kazakhstan) in a bout. Ibo Aslan (14-2-0, fighting out of Istanbul, Turkey) will meet American Billy Elekana (7-2-0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada) in a light heavyweight bout.