Reinier de Ridder remains undefeated in the UFC, making the decision that radical middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is fighting in a tough five-round event.
He was absolutely bombed with a punch that knocked him to the ground in the third round, but De Ridder showed off some impressive grapplings and managed to kneel Whittaker on his body several times. Combining that with the ability to control distance and outwork whittakers in the clinch was enough for De Ridder to secure a victory in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event.
The final scorecard featured two judges at De Ridder 48-47 and the third judge at Whittaker 48-47. Still, it was enough to get a nod when De Ridder moved to 4-0 within Octagon.
“It’s very close,” De Ridder said of the fight. “I don’t want to fight like this. This guy was too tough. I want to finish the guy in the first round. It would be better.
“So maybe Khamzat (Chimaev)-Dricus (Du Plessis) Next. Give me the opportunity to fight for that strap.”
It was a war of attrition throughout all five rounds. Both fighters sometimes spit out air, but De Ridder’s work and his ability to deal damage with his feet had to be praised.
When the action began, it was Whittaker quick in the offense, but De Ridder retorted with a takedown attempt when the middleweight fought for the position. After separating, Whitaker fired a quick left and right combination, and De Ridder had already cut his eyes as he began to move his back.
Whittaker’s right hand came to De Ridder like a laser, and he was free to connect. When he finally closed the distance, De Ridder kneeled to Whittaker’s body, but the former champion came back to him with another stabbing combination of punches.
While De Ridder was finding a home for his strike at the time, Whittaker was still snapping from a better punch. However, De Ridder kept his knees up in the middle, and he blows up Whittaker with some hard shots that definitely caused some damage.
That led to De Ridar’s first takedown when he reached Whitaker, where he was trying to take the punch and move his position forward.
“I was hoping to get him down and suffocate him,” De Ridar said of his performance. “But he was great. He’s very tough and very durable.”
At the start of round three, De Ridder clipped Whittaker with a wobble combination. Soon, De Ridder moved forward trying to get a finish, but instead he met a huge overhand from Whittaker, who dropped him on the canvas.
Whitaker went down with De Lidar and began slamming his elbow, but the Dutch middleweight resisted enough to survive. After the fighter returned to his feet, De Ridar recovered well, then he recovered enough to land another takedown on the Whittaker, who was exhausted after a crazy exchange.
Over time, De Ridder was able to close the distance a little easier, but Whittaker was still in good condition to avoid a takedown. The fighter had been swapping jabs as it seemed Whitaker was getting a second wind, but then connected to his knees and body, which caused another damage.
A very close fight was given in the final five minutes as De Ridder tried to push Whittaker into the cage while he was searching for Takedown again. Whitaker defended well, but he continued to find himself in the same position without making many attacks.
When the fighter separated, the Whittaker tried to throw some combinations along with the de Ridder. The fight closed over time with De Ridder pushing Whittaker again into the cage.
Whitaker was clearly not what Whitaker wanted as he dropped his second consecutive fight after he submitted to Kamza Chimaev on his previous outings.
“To be honest, my ass hurts quite a bit,” Whittaker said in response to the loss. “He did what he said he was trying to do. There was a lot of pressure. He has a lot of skill set. He left the winner.
Wind puts De Ridder in the division’s prime position, with Dricus Du Plessis defending his belt against Chimaev at UFC 319. Now, De Ridder must wait for the outcome of that fight alongside Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho at UFC Paris in September.