Reinier de Ridder is entering the biggest fight of his career when he meets Robert Whittaker in the main event later today (Sat., July 26, 2025) at UFC Abu Dhabi LIVE on ABC/ESPN+ from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, but when it’s all said and done “The Dutch Knight” is just happy to be an active fighter.
warning other fighters to stay away from the organization.
MMA Fighting. “Unfortunately you are right but we’ll see how they bounce back hopefully but I’m not sure.
“With Buchecha, [we’ve] been putting in a lot of work together as well here in Florida. It will be cool to share a card with him. So happy for that guy that he’s finally free as well, finally able to get fights, too.”
Fortunately for de Ridder, he has joined a promotion in UFC that rewards fighters who want to stay active. This weekend’s matchup with Whittaker will be de Ridder’s fourth trip to the Octagon since his official debut in Nov. 2024. That’s a lot of action for any fighter, but something that “Dutch Knight” ultimately asked for.
“Be careful what you wish for maybe,” said de Ridder about himself. “Because that’s what I’ve been asking for years is activity and I’m getting activity. This is going to be my fifth fight in a year. When I fight it will be exactly one year since I fought for UAE Warriors here in Abu Dhabi.
“It all came together very quickly but I’ve been settling down in Florida more so I found a house, I found a place to stay full time. My kids are going to go to school there so I’m thinking of doing more activity next year as well.”
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LIVE! Stream UFC Abu Dhabi On ESPN+
MIDDLEWEIGHT MAYHEM! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” this Sat. night (July 26, 2025) with UFC Abu Dhabi. That’s where former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, collides with red-hot submission specialist, Reinier de Ridder, in a fast-paced main event mashup scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In UFC Abu Dhabi’s co-main event, former 135-pound titleholder, Petr Yan, locks horns with once-beaten bantamweight bruiser, Marcus McGhee, with a spot in the division title chase up for grabs.
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ABC/ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archives here, here, and here. For the updated and finalized “Whittaker vs. De Ridder” fight card and ABC/ESPN+ lineup click here.
