Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is scheduled to return to action, facing Reinier de Ridder in the main event of the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Abu Dhabi.
The event is slated to take place on July 26th at the Etihad Arena. This matchup was initially reported to be in the works before the official announcement by the UFC.
Whittaker is aiming to rebound from his recent first-round submission defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 last October. Prior to that, “The Reaper” secured a dominant first-round knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia in June. Ranked No. 7 in the global middleweight standings, Whittaker has won three of his last five bouts.
Reinier de Ridder has been highly active since making his promotional debut. The former two-division ONE Championship titleholder holds a perfect 3-0 record inside the octagon, with wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and most recently, a victory against Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines earlier this month. The fighter ranked No. 13 in the 185-pound division enters his first UFC main event riding a four-fight winning streak.
According to the UFC website, the preliminary portion of the UFC Abu Dhabi card is expected to begin at Noon ET, with the main card following at 3 p.m. ET, both scheduled to air on ESPN+.
