UFC Abu Dhabi live updates: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder results, round-by-round analysis, highlights

Yahoo

a day ago

Uncrowned has UFC Abu Dhabi live results, round-by-round updates, start time and highlights for the Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder fight card on Saturday afternoon at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Former UFC middleweight champion Whittaker continues his pursuit of another title shot when he takes on rising contender de Ridder in a five-round main event, while ex-champ Petr Yan faces off against Marcus McGhee in the three-round bantamweight co-headliner.
Whittaker (26-8) has long been a staple of the upper echelon of the UFC's middleweight division. Known either as "The Reaper" or "Bobby Knuckles" depending on your flavor, the New Zealand native captured the UFC middleweight championship in 2017 amid a career-best nine-fight win streak that propelled him up the pound-for-pound ranks. Since losing his belt in 2019 at the hands of Israel Adesanya, Whittaker has continued to compete at an elite level, falling short only against Adesanya for a second time and the division's two next title competitors: UFC champ Dricus du Plessis and, most recently, Khamzat Chimaev,
De Ridder (20-2) has gold in his past as well. A native of the Netherlands who goes by the moniker "The Dutch Knight," de Ridder was a two-division titleholder for ONE Championship before exiting the promotion in 2024 following back-to-back losses to Anatoly Malykhin. De Ridder has already hit the ground running in his new home though, racking up a sterling 4-0 run under the umbrella, culminating with his stunning upset of Bo Nickal this past May. With another win over a middleweight legend like Whittaker, de Ridder could quickly find himself in the conversation for title contention at 185 pounds.
The UFC Abu Dhabi start time for the preliminary card is at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. The main card begins live at 3 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN+.
Follow along with Uncrowned's live UFC Abu Dhabi: Whittaker vs. de Ridder results, highlights and live blog below, including round-by-round play-by-play of the final two bouts of the day.
Main Card (ABC/ESPN+, LIVE NOW)
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder
Bantamweight: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee
Middleweight: Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault
Flyweight: Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa
Light heavyweight: Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov
Prelims
Bantamweight: Bryce Mitchell def. Said Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov def. Carlos Leal via KO (punch) at :42 of R1 | Watch finish
Bantamweight: Davey Grant def. Da'Mon Blackshear via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women's strawweight: Tabatha Ricci def. Amanda Ribas via TKO (strikes) at 2:59 of R2 | Watch finish
Light heavyweight: Billy Elekana def. Ibo Aslan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Featherweight: Steven Nguyen def. Mohammad Yahya via doctor's stoppage at 5:00 of R2 | Watch finish
Heavyweight: Martin Buday def. Marcus Buchecha via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)