UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Winners And Losers Whittaker Vs. De Ridder Card
The UFC Abu Dhabi is at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi for today's UFC Abu Dhabi fight card. The headlining contest of the Saturday, July 26, UFC Fight Night card features a middleweight matchup between former UFC champion Robert Whittaker and the fast-rising contender Reinier de Ridder. The co-main event of the UFC on ABC card is a bantamweight bout between ex-UFC champ Petr Yan and the surging Marcus McGhee. UFC Abu Dhabi results, winners and losers, and more will be updated live throughout today's UFC on ABC card.
The UFC Abu Dhabi main card airs on ABC following prelims on ESPN.
UFC Abu Dhabi Results - Winners
UFC Abu Dhabi Results - Losers
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Results
UFC Today: UFC Abu Dhabi Pay-Per-View Card Results
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Main Card Results
Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder - Middleweight
Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee - Bantamweight
Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-André Barriault - Middleweight
Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa - Flyweight
Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light heavyweight
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Preliminary Card Results
Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov - Bantamweight
Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal Miranda - Welterweight
Davey Grant vs. Da'Mon Blackshear - Bantamweight
Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci - Strawweight
İbo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana - Light heavyweight
Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen - Featherweight
Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha - Heavyweight
UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Video Highlights
UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Fight Night Bonuses
UFC Abu Dhabi Results: Official Scorecards
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Main Event Preview: Robert Whittaker Vs. Reinier De Ridder
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Robert Whittaker of New Zealand and ... More Reinier de Ridder of The Netherlands face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
Whittaker (26-8) is the No. 5 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. Whittaker is 15-4 with the UFC since June 2014. His only losses have come to Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev. Adesanya is a former UFC middleweight champ. Du Plessis is the current UFC 185-pound champion, and Chimaev is scheduled to face Du Plessis in a title fight at UFC 319 in August. In short, the 34-year-old is the gate keeper to the elite of the division.
Whittaker is coming off a nasty submission loss to Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024.
De Ridder (20-2) has been climbing the UFC middleweight ladder since he joined the promotion after holding the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight titles. The 34-year-old is No. 13 in the UFC 185-pound division. He is 3-0 with the promotion with stoppage wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal. His win over Nickal was his most recent victory, coming in May of this year.
When the betting odds opened for this matchup, Whittaker was a -145 favorite over the +120 De Ridder. That betting line has held.
With fight night approaching, Whittaker has picked up 51 percent of the bets, while De Ridder has earned 54 percent of the handle.
There are a couple of burning questions about this fight to ponder before making a pick. Has a career of facing the best of the best at middleweight caught up with Robert Whittaker leading to a decline in his skills? Is Reinier de Ridder ready to face someone as well-rounded as Robert Whittaker?
We won't know the answers to those questions until after Saturday's fight. What we do know is that Whittaker is one of the best middleweight fighters in the history of the UFC and that he is the more well-rounded fighter in this matchup.
The betting pick is Whittaker to beat De Ridder via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Co-Main Event Preview: Petr Yan Vs. Marcus McGhee
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Petr Yan of Russia and Marcus McGhee face ... More off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan looks to hold onto his No. 3 ranking when he faces the No. 12 ranked Marcus McGhee in the co-main event of Saturday's UFC Abu Dhabi fight card.
Yan is 3-4 dating back to his March 2021 title-losing DQ setback to Aljamain Sterling. However, the ex-champ has back-to-back wins heading into Saturday's fight card. As for McGhee, he is 4-0 in the UFC and looking to make a move against a former titleholder.
When the betting line opened for this 135-pound scrap, Yan was a -325 favorite over the +275 McGhee, those odds have shifted. Today, Yan is listed at -400, while McGhee is +310.
McGhee has 68 percent of the bets for this contest, while 52 percent of the money is on Yan.
McGhee has struggled with leg kicks, expect Yan to look to land those kicks as soon as this matchup begins. The pick is Yan to win via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Shara Magomedov Vs. Marc-André Barriault
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Shara Magomedov of Russia and Marc-Andre ... More Barriault of Canada face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
We have a middleweight matchup between two fighters trying to find a spot in the division. In one corner we have Shara Magomedov, who the UFC seems to favor, but who had been handed some friendly matchmaking in his first four UFC fights. He won all of those bouts, with two victories coming via knockout. In his most recent outing, Magomedov dropped a decision to the more experienced Michael 'Venom' Page. As for Barriault, a member of the UFC since 2019, he has never won more than two fights in a row with the promotion. Barriault is coming off a May knockout win over Bruno Silva.
When the betting odds opened for this fight, Magomedov was a massive -455 favorite over the +340 Barriault. That line has shifted more in favor of Magomedov. Today, he is listed at -650, while Barriault is +475.
With the lopsided odds, 59 percent of the bets have been on Barriault, but even with the lines being what they are, Magomedov has 79 percent of the bets.
Magomedov is the better overall striker in this contest. With that, look for Magomedov, who also has the better chin, to win. Barriault has been knocked out in his past two losses, look for Magomedov to make that three on Saturday.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Asu Almabayev Vs. Jose Ochoa
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan and Jose Ochoa ... More of Peru face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
The flyweight matchup between Asu Almabayev and Jose Ochoa came together late. Almabayev was initially booked against Ramazan Temirov, but a failed drug test forced Temirov off the card.
When the betting line opened for this late replacement contest, it was a pick 'em with both fighters listed at -110. Today, it's still a pick 'em, but Almabayev is -115 to Ochoa's -105.
Almabayev has 74 percent of the bets and 51 percent of the handle.
The pick is Almabayev to win via decision.
UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card Preview: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Nikita Krylov Vs. Bogdan Guskov
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JULY 25: (L-R) Opponents Nikita Krylov of Ukraine and Bogdan ... More Guskov of Uzbekistan face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on July 25, 2025 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Opening the UFC Abu Dhabi main card is a light heavyweight matchup between Nikita Krylov and Bogdan Guskov. Both men are ranked inside the top 15 of the 205-pound division, with Krylov at No. 10 and Guskov at No. 13.
When the betting line opened, Krylov was -185 to Guskov's +150. Today, Krylov is -200 and Guskov is listed at +165.
Bettors are favoring Guskov, who has earned 79 percent of the bets and 81 percent of the handle.
The pick is Guskov to win via knockout.
Stay tuned for more coverage from the UFC Abu Dhabi fight card. Including live UFC Abu Dhabi results, reactions, recaps and video highlights during tonight's event.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
UFC on ABC 9 takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
What mattered most at UFC on ABC 9 on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Steven Nguyen's historic beatdown Steven Nguyen broke a UFC record that stood for the better part of a decade on the preliminary card when he battered Mohammad Yahya and scored a new all-time single-fight high with six knockdowns landed. Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya early in the first round and didn't relent for the next 10 minutes. It could've been stopped multiple times, but referee Jason Herzog gave Yahya every chance to show his heart and durability. Yahya had a flash of an unthinkable turnaround early in the second frame, but then it was right back to Nguyen hurting him until the frame expired and the doctor waved it off. Of the thousands of fights that haven taken place over the course of UFC history, only two fighters, Forrest Petz in 2006 and Jeremy Stephens in 2017, landed five total knockdowns in a single bout. Nguyen set a new bar with his performance, and it might be another decade or more until we see something like that happen again. It's truly rare. 3. Muslim Salikhov can still thump Muslim Salikhov made it three straight knockout wins inside the octagon when he became the first man to finish Carlos Leal with strikes in their welterweight bout. Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was a massive betting underdog for the fight, but the 41-year-old disproved all that in a mere 42 seconds when he cracked Leal clean and instantly shut the lights out, sending the crowd, occupied by former UFC champ Islam Makhachev, into an absolute frenzy. "The King of Kung Fu" is a threat to do that to anyone he shares that cage with. Can he turn this run into something that will get him a ranked fight? That is obviously the goal, but even if he falls short of it, he will make it fun. 2. Petr Yan should get a title shot Petr Yan put on another clinic to turn back the surging Marcus McGhee and stake his claim for the next title shot in the bantamweight division. The former champ has put together three consecutive victories since a 1-4 drought that looks much worse on paper than it was in reality, all beginning with his infamous title disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April 2022. If Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) ever truly fell out of form, which is arguable, then he's certainly returned to being at or near his peak. It feels like the right time to give him what he asked for, and that's an opportunity to regain the belt against the winner of champ Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen, who meet in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. The stars seem to align well for him, especially if Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) wins and continues his quest to be an ultra-active champion. Yan has the most deserving resume, but he did lose a lopsided fight to "The Machine" in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023. If Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) wins, then Yan might have a great chance if the new champ shoos away a rematch with Dvalishvili and wants to avenge his unanimous decision loss to Yan in an interim title bout at UFC 267 in October 2021. Either way, Yan is in a solid position, and the same one he would've been in if he faced a more highly-ranked and more challenging opponent than he got from McGhee. 1. Who won Reinier de Ridder vs. Robert Whittaker? The main event between middleweight contenders Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker came down to the wire after five compelling rounds, and in the end two of three judges felt the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder deserved the nod. What was a fascinating matchup on paper played out in reality, with de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) making a true effort to get the fight to the ground and finish it early before falling back into major success on the feet. He seemingly had Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) hurt multiple times, but Whittaker had the biggest moment of the 25 minutes when he floored de Ridder with a massive punch and was on the doorstep of a stoppage. He couldn't push through it and halt the fight in that third-round sequence, though, and that allowed de Ridder to regain his wits and show his resiliency. To get his hand raised is validating for de Ridder, and continues his dream UFC run. It's hard to say he doesn't deserve it, though any frustration from Whittaker is valid, especially knowing he was probably one good punch away from taking the judges out of the equation. The result leaves many questions around Whittaker and his future after expressing his desire to make one more title run. It stings on many levels, but in his wake a true contender is born in de Ridder. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
USA Today
13 minutes ago
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9 takeaways: Petr Yan's rightful claim to a title shot
What mattered most at UFC on ABC 9 on Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Steven Nguyen's historic beatdown Steven Nguyen broke a UFC record that stood for the better part of a decade on the preliminary card when he battered Mohammad Yahya and scored a new all-time single-fight high with six knockdowns landed. Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya early in the first round and didn't relent for the next 10 minutes. It could've been stopped multiple times, but referee Jason Herzog gave Yahya every chance to show his heart and durability. Yahya had a flash of an unthinkable turnaround early in the second frame, but then it was right back to Nguyen hurting him until the frame expired and the doctor waved it off. Of the thousands of fights that haven taken place over the course of UFC history, only two fighters, Forrest Petz in 2006 and Jeremy Stephens in 2017, landed five total knockdowns in a single bout. Nguyen set a new bar with his performance, and it might be another decade or more until we see something like that happen again. It's truly rare. 3. Muslim Salikhov can still thump Muslim Salikhov made it three straight knockout wins inside the octagon when he became the first man to finish Carlos Leal with strikes in their welterweight bout. Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was a massive betting underdog for the fight, but the 41-year-old disproved all that in a mere 42 seconds when he cracked Leal clean and instantly shut the lights out, sending the crowd, occupied by former UFC champ Islam Makhachev, into an absolute frenzy. "The King of Kung Fu" is a threat to do that to anyone he shares that cage with. Can he turn this run into something that will get him a ranked fight? That is obviously the goal, but even if he falls short of it, he will make it fun. 2. Petr Yan should get a title shot Petr Yan put on another clinic to turn back the surging Marcus McGhee and stake his claim for the next title shot in the bantamweight division. The former champ has put together three consecutive victories since a 1-4 drought that looks much worse on paper than it was in reality, all beginning with his infamous title disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273 in April 2022. If Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) ever truly fell out of form, which is arguable, then he's certainly returned to being at or near his peak. It feels like the right time to give him what he asked for, and that's an opportunity to regain the belt against the winner of champ Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen, who meet in the UFC 320 co-main event on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas. The stars seem to align well for him, especially if Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) wins and continues his quest to be an ultra-active champion. Yan has the most deserving resume, but he did lose a lopsided fight to "The Machine" in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 221 in March 2023. If Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) wins, then Yan might have a great chance if the new champ shoos away a rematch with Dvalishvili and wants to avenge his unanimous decision loss to Yan in an interim title bout at UFC 267 in October 2021. Either way, Yan is in a solid position, and the same one he would've been in if he faced a more highly-ranked and more challenging opponent than he got from McGhee. 1. Who won Reinier de Ridder vs. Robert Whittaker? The main event between middleweight contenders Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker came down to the wire after five compelling rounds, and in the end two of three judges felt the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder deserved the nod. What was a fascinating matchup on paper played out in reality, with de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) making a true effort to get the fight to the ground and finish it early before falling back into major success on the feet. He seemingly had Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) hurt multiple times, but Whittaker had the biggest moment of the 25 minutes when he floored de Ridder with a massive punch and was on the doorstep of a stoppage. He couldn't push through it and halt the fight in that third-round sequence, though, and that allowed de Ridder to regain his wits and show his resiliency. To get his hand raised is validating for de Ridder, and continues his dream UFC run. It's hard to say he doesn't deserve it, though any frustration from Whittaker is valid, especially knowing he was probably one good punch away from taking the judges out of the equation. The result leaves many questions around Whittaker and his future after expressing his desire to make one more title run. It stings on many levels, but in his wake a true contender is born in de Ridder.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking No. 1 pound-for-pound spot in UFC rankings
A post shared by UFC Eurasia (@ufceurasia) Islam Makhachev is unbothered by Ilia Topuria overtaking him in the official UFC rankings. For many years, Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) made it clear he was striving to be the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He spent a solid chunk of time holding down the position during his dominant and record-setting reign as lightweight champion, but now that he's moved on from the division and is currently without a belt, that opened the door for someone else. Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) walked through that door at UFC 317 in June, when the former featherweight champion moved up in weight and knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt left behind by Makhachev as he jumps divisions in his own career and readies to challenge welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena later this year. With Topuria being a hot item in the sport and becoming the first to claim belts in two divisions while undefeated, he is now ranked No. 1 pound-for-pound on the UFC's official rankings. This doesn't frustrate Makhachev, he said, because he thinks it's all designed to build toward an eventual fight between "El Matador" and himself. "Well, it's marketing," Makhachev told UFC Eurasia during Saturday's UFC on ABC 9 event in Abu Dhabi (H/T: Championship Rounds on X). "They did it on purpose for hype, to hype up the fight. People already have interest in this fight. They're doing the right thing. We will fight for first place.' Islam Makhachev reacts to Ilia Topuria taking his spot as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world"Well, it's marketing. They're doing it on purpose to promote this fight... So they do it right, and we'll be fighting for the #1 spot in the rankings." 👀🎥 @ufc Whether all of this is building toward a matchup between Makhachev and Topuria remains to be seen. Topuria has expressed a desire to follow Makhachev up to 170 pounds and attempt to become the first in UFC history to claim titles in three separate weight classes. UFC CEO Dana White recently said the super fight could materialize if each man wins one more fight. There are a number of potential contenders in play for Topuria's first defense at 155 pounds, including Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, Arman Tsarukyan or a rematch with BMF champ Max Holloway. Makhachev, meanwhile, will attempt to join the group of 10 previous fighters to capture belts in multiple weight classes when he faces Jack Della Maddalena, which he said is "90 percent" on the way to being finalized and announced.
