UFC star Robert Whittaker has revealed how he wound up with a main event slot against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As we know, Robert Whittaker is one of the best middleweight fighters in the history of mixed martial arts – not just the UFC. He is a former champion, he’s beaten some of the best to ever do it, and he has competed against some true stars of the sport. However, after his one-sided loss to Khamzat Chimaev, he’s fighting to get back into contention at 185 pounds.
In his next fight, Robert Whittaker is set to fight surging contender Reinier de Ridder. Given what we know about both men, this looks set to be a fascinating, competitive fight between two men who are hungry to make a push for a title shot.
In a recent episode of his podcast, Robert Whittaker opened up on how the fight booking happened.
STEP UP FOR RDR
WHITTAKER VS DE RIDDER IS SET FOR JULY 26th
Main event in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/nFh0RtwEpH
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 10, 2025
Robert Whittaker on Reinier de Ridder fight
“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.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
