Reinier de Ridder stays undefeated contained in the Octagon, scoring a closely-contested choice victory over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.
As anticipated, de Ridder got here out instantly trying to take Whittaker to the mat. Regardless of a strong effort, ‘The Reaper’ stayed upright for the whole thing of the opening spherical. Nevertheless, that modified within the second stanza when a well-timed knee to the midsection from de Ridder appeared to fold his opponent, permitting the Dutchman to attain his first takedown of the battle.
Feeling a wave of momentum, de Ridder comes out swinging massive within the third, however eats a vicious overhand proper from Whittaker that sends him crashing to the canvas. Whittaker moved in, trying to drop bombs on the mat, however ‘RDR’ defended, scrambling again to his ft and taking a little bit of a breather within the clinch.
Earlier than lengthy, de Ridder secured one other takedown, conserving Whittaker’s again to the mat for the rest of the third. Although he racked up management time, it seemingly wasn’t sufficient to offset being dropped by Whittaker earlier within the spherical.
After an exhausting tempo within the first quarter-hour, issues slowed considerably within the fourth with de Ridder using the clinch to eat up time and keep out of hazard. De Ridder’s technique remained the identical within the fifth as Whittaker tried to slug it out and doubtlessly swing the scorecards in his favor.
Sadly for Whittaker, de Ridder was far too efficient in shutting down the New Zealander’s offense, sending us to the scorecards for what can be a razor-close choice.
Official Outcome: Reinier de Ridder def. Robert Whittaker by way of break up choice (47-48, 48-47, 48-47).
