Former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker returns to action in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, set to take on surging ex-ONE double champ Reinier de Ridder.
RDR is a perfect 3-0 to start his UFC career and recently became the first man to defeat wrestling standout Bo Nickal. Yet “The Repear” is a different animal, and despite a crushing (in more ways than one) loss to Khamzat Chimaev in his last fight, Whittaker remains dangerous and a favourite in the fight.
What would have been the Abu Dhabi card’s co-main event is off, as Movsar Evloev withdrew from a five-round fight with the debuting Aaron Pico. Still, former bantamweight champ Petr Yan gets Marcu McGhee, while Shara Bullet takes on Canadian Marc-Andre Barriault in what should be a fun fight.
Weigh-ins for UFC Abu Dhabi take place Friday local time; full results can be found below.
UFC Abu Dhabi: Whittaker vs. de Ridder Weigh-In Results
Main card
Middleweight: Robert Whittaker (185.5) vs. Reinier de Ridder (186)
Bantamweight: Petr Yan (135.5) vs. Marcus McGhee (136)
Middleweight: Shara Magomedov (186) vs. Marc-André Barriault (185)
Flyweight: Asu Almabayev (126) vs. Jose Ochoa (125.5)
Light Heavyweight: Nikita Krylov (205) vs. Bogdan Guskov (205)
Preliminary card
Bantamweight: Bryce Mitchell (136) vs. Said Nurmagomedov (136)
Welterweight: Muslim Salikhov (170.5) vs. Carlos Leal (170)
Bantamweight: Davey Grant (136) vs. Da’Mon Blackshear (136)
Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Ribas (116) vs. Tabatha Ricci (115)
Light Heavyweight: İbo Aslan (204) vs. Billy Elekana (204.5)
Featherweight: Mohammad Yahya (146) vs. Steven Nguyen (145.5)
Heavyweight: Martin Buday (266) vs. Marcus Buchecha (254)
