Reinier de Ridder remains undefeated inside the Octagon, scoring a closely-contested decision victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As expected, de Ridder came out immediately looking to take Whittaker to the mat. Despite a solid effort, ‘The Reaper’ stayed upright for the entirety of the opening round. However, that changed in the second stanza when a well-timed knee to the midsection from de Ridder appeared to fold his opponent, allowing the Dutchman to score his first takedown of the fight.
Feeling a wave of momentum, de Ridder comes out swinging big in the third, but eats a vicious overhand right from Whittaker that sends him crashing to the canvas.