Robert Whittaker is looking to rebound after his loss to Khamzat Chimaev.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion has been a mixed bag since dropping his belt to Israel Adesanya. Whittaker has gotten strong wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov, but he’s failed to beat top names such as Dricus du Plessis. A win over Reinier de Ridder will likely put him in the top three of the division rankings. Whittaker’s professional record currently stands at 26 wins and 8 losses.
This is Reinier de Ridder’s biggest fight to date. The former ONE Middleweight World Champion made his UFC debut in 2024 and got an impressive submission win over Gerald Meerschaert. Ridder has fought two more times in the octagon and he remains undefeated in the UFC thus far. Though Ridder’s a newcomer, he’s an accomplished MMA fighter who has won numerous titles in ONE Championship and HIT Fighting Championship. Ridder’s professional record currently stands at 20 wins and 2 losses.
In the co-main event, former UFC Bantamweight Champion Petr Yan will make his return and hopes to continue building his two-fight winning streak. There was some concern about Yan after his loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 273; The bantamweight was on a three fight skid until his decision win over Song Yadong at UFC 299 changed the tide of his career. Yan’s professional record is 18 wins and 5 losses.
His opponent comes in on an impressive six-fight winning streak; however, Yan is Marcus McGhee’s biggest challenge to date. Out of those six wins, McGhee has won five of them via TKO or submission. The UFC newcomer’s professional record currently stands at 10 wins and 1 loss.
Check out the advertised card below:
Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder Full Fight Card
Main Card
- Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder: Middleweight Main Event
- Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee: Bantamweight
- Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault: Middleweight
- Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa: Flyweight
- Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov: Light Heavyweight
Prelims
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov: Bantamweight
- Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal: Welterweight
- Davey Grant vs. Da’Mon Blackshear: Bantamweight
- Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci: Women’s Strawweight
- Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana: Light Heavyweight
- Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen: Featherweight
- Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha: Heavyweight