UFC unveils first four bouts for Fight Night

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Thursday, announced the first four bouts of the Fight Night, including a middleweight main event between former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and the fast-rising star Reinier de Ridder.

Whittaker is the World No. 5 in the official UFC middleweight rankings and one of the top fighters in the championship's 185-pound division.

He holds the record of 26-8, and all his losses under the umbrella of UFC as a middleweight have been against Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev.

Whittaker told Submission Radio that he is prepared for the fight and that when the opportunity came, he jumped at it and said yes.

"I've been preparing for a fight, trying to stay ready for a fight. I was looking for June," said Whittaker.

"But it never kind of came around. And then they came back to me and said RDR, July, Abu Dhabi... I just jumped at the opportunity and said, yes, and here we are," Whittaker added.

On the other hand, Reinier de Ridder holds a record of 20–2 since joining the UFC in 2024.

He was a two-division champion in ONE Championship, claiming titles in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

De Ridder is currently ranked No. 13 in the official UFC rankings.

UFC Abu Dhabi 2025 Announced Fights

Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder - Middleweight

Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Marc-André Barriault - Middleweight

Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light Heavyweight

Ramazan Temirov vs. Asu Almabayev - Flyweight

Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana - Light Heavyweight