Reinier de Ridder remains undefeated in the octagon, recording a close-contested decision victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As expected, De Ridder came out to take Whittaker to the mat soon. Despite solid efforts, “The Grim Reaper” remained upright throughout the opening round. However, it was the second stanza, when De Ridder’s timing knee to the middle appeared to fold his opponent, allowing the Dutch to score a takedown of their first fight.
Feeling a wave of momentum, De Ridder swings third the loudest, but eating a fierce overhand from Whittaker, he crashes into the canvas. Whitaker moved in and considered dropping a bomb on the mat, but “RDR” defended, scrambling back to his feet and inhaling a bit of a clinch.
Eventually, De Ridder secured another Takedown and returned to Whittaker’s mat for the rest of the third. He accumulated control time, but it would not have been enough to offset his drop by the Whittaker early in the round.
After a exhausting pace in the first 15 minutes, things were slower in the fourth, when DE Ridder took advantage of the clinch to avoid danger. De Ridder’s strategy remained the same fifth as Whittaker slugs it and potentially attempts to swing the scorecard in his favour.
Unfortunately for Whittaker, De Ridder was too effective at shutting down New Zealanders’ attacks.
Official Results:Reinier de Knight def. via Robert Whittaker (47-48, 48-47, 48-47).