UFC star Robert Whittaker has voiced his thoughts on taking on Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this summer.
As we know, Robert Whittaker is one of the best middleweights of this or any other generation. The man known as ‘The Reaper’ has beaten some of the very best that the UFC has had to offer at 185 pounds, and while it’s been a long time since he was the middleweight champion, he’s still been able to pick up wins over some truly elite opposition.
However, after getting stopped by Khamzat Chimaev pretty decisively, Robert Whittaker has something to prove. He needs to go out there and showcase why he’s still such a highly regarded fighter within the middleweight division, and while some will favor him in this match-up, Reinier de Ridder isn’t the kind of opponent you can just dismiss.
In a recent interview, we heard from the man himself why Robert Whittaker is so intrigued by this contest.
Robert Whittaker looks ahead to Reinier de Ridder fight
“He’s an awkward guy. He’s of the same mentality, the same school of thought where you just walk forward and punch people, right? I understand the headspace I’ve got to be in for this fight, and I think it is a great precursor to what I want to do moving forward. His grappling style is pretty cool as well. He’s kind of one of these guys who actually weaponizes a lot of the stuff that he does-comes forward and just brings it forward.”
“I want to set a statement in this next fight. I want to really, you know, I want to really send a message and work my way up to the title, so like, that’s kind of my focus right now.”
Quotes via MMA News
