Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will look to rebound from a loss in his last outing as he headlines the UFC Fight Night on July 26 against Reinier de Ridder.
The event will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Whittaker (26-8) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in October. The 34-year-old fighter mentioned suffering a dislodged tooth in that fight, after Chimaev secured an early face crank following an immediate takedown. Prior to that loss, Whittaker was on his way to a title fight, with victories over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov.
De Ridder (20-2), known as “RDR”, arrives after the most important victory of his career, a knockout in the second round over Bo Nickal last weekend. The Dutch contender has a 3-0 record since signing with the UFC last year. He has accumulated those three victories in less than six months.
The current middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, does not yet have his next title defense scheduled, but the UFC has already announced that he will face Chimaev on a date to be determined.
