Derrek Cooper, No. 1 RB in 2026, commits to Texas
Cooper, a native of Hollywood, Fla., chose the Longhorns over finalists Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State.
A two-way player for Chaminade-Madonna Prep listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Cooper is listed in the athlete category by the 247Sports Composite, where he is a five-star ranked No. 29 overall in the class and No. 2 in Florida.
Cooper joins a star-studded freshman class for Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns next year. They already had signed three other ESPN five-stars: quarterback Dia Bell, defensive end Richard Wesley and linebacker Tyler Atkinson.
--Field Level Media
Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
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Where to watch UFC Abu Dhabi: Whittaker vs. de Ridder live stream, start time more for Fight Night card
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USA Today
4 hours ago
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UFC on ABC 9: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder odds, picks and predictions
In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The prelims begin at noon ET (ESPN / ESPN+) with the main card at 3 p.m. (ABC / ESPN+). Their fight is expected to start at approximately 5:45 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's UFC odds around the UFC on ABC 9: Whittaker vs. de Ridder odds, and make our expert UFC picks and predictions. Records: Whittaker (27-8-0) | de Ridder (20-2-0) Whittaker is looking to bounce back after a Round-1 submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 last time out in late October. He is just 3-3 in his past 6 fights, but losses to Chimaev, former division champ Dricus Du Plessis (July 2023) and Israel Adesanya (February 2022) is not embarrassing in the least. Whittaker's last win, 2 fights ago, was a Round-1 KO/TKO win over Ikram Aliskerov in a Fight Night main even in late June 2024. Six of his past 9 bouts went the distance, with 5 wins via unanimous decision and the title fight loss to Adesanya at UFC 271. For de Ridder, he is viewed as a fighter on the rise. Since joining the company, he has 3 consecutive victories. The most impressive might have been a Round-2 knockout of Bo Nickal last time out in early May, handing the prospect his first UFC loss. He also has submission wins over veterans Kevin Holland (Jan. 18, 2025) and Gerald Meerschaert (Nov. 9, 2024), so he hasn't exactly been fighting tomato cans to get to this point. The southpaw de Ridder has a 4.5-inch reach advantage, although Whittaker has a 4.54-to-3.25 significant-strikes-landed-per-minute advantage. The "Dutch Knight" de Ridder, who is from the Netherlands, has been much more accurate with those strikes, though, landing at a blistering 78.66% pace in his 3 bouts with the UFC, as opposed to just 45.99% for Whittaker. He also likes to get the fight to the canvas early and often, posting a 4.74 takedown average, and a 38.89% mark on takedown accuracy, while posting a 1.36 submission average. Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here. UFC on ABC 9: Whittaker vs. de Ridder odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:14 a.m. ET. UFC on ABC 9: Whittaker vs. de Ridder picks and predictions Fight result (2-way line or moneyline) This is going to be a pretty good fight, and it's tough to pick a winner. Whittaker was once on the precipice of a title, but he is just 3-3 in his past 6 fights. He's looking to get a victory here to get back onto the path for another title shot. However, DE RIDDER (+120) is the better value at plus-money. He is on the rise. To get to this point, he disposed of veterans Holland and Meerschaert, while stunning the division with a knockout of previous middleweight golden boy Nickal. de Ridder is a top-notch wrestler, but he also has tremendous punching power, and he can get the job done in a number of ways. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! Over/Under No (-285): "Fight will go the distance" will set you back nearly 3 times the potential return. There's no value there. The only way to excuse laying so much is to toss this into a multi-leg parlay, perhaps of at least 5 or 6 legs. The better value is to take a look at UNDER 2.5 ROUNDS (-105). The past 2 fights against Aliskerov and Chimaev have ended in Round 1 for Whittaker, and he has finished Under 2.5 Rounds in 3 of his past 4 outings. For de Ridder, his past 2 fights have ended prior to the midway point of Round 2, and he has 3 finishes in 3 fights at the UFC level. Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Daniel Dobish on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
