The former Middleweight Champion, No. 5 Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker, is back to take on rising star No. 13 Reinier de Ridder in the Main Event of Saturday’s Fight Night in Abu Dhabi.
Whittaker is coming off a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024, but has shown an incredible ability to bounce back after losses in the past. In the last 10 years, Whittaker has lost to three fighters, with two of them being 185-pound champions (Israel Adesanya and Dricus Du Plessis), and the third, Chimaev, is fighting for the title at UFC 319.
“The Reaper” has been a staple of the UFC’s Middleweight division throughout the last decade and hasn’t suffered back-to-back defeats since 2014. He will now face de Ridder, who, although he is only 3-0 in the UFC, has lived up to previous expectations and more. De Ridder entered the promotion as a decorated former ONE Championship title holder. When de Ridder fights, he always looks for the finish, as 18 of his 20 career victories have come by knockout or submission. The former champion is a -155 favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, as de Ridder is a close +130 underdog.
New UFC signee, Aaron Pico, was supposed to face Movsar Evloev in the co-main event of this card, but the bout was canceled after Evloev suffered an injury. Even though that fight is not on this card anymore, the new co-main event is an excellent matchup between former Bantamweight Champion No. 3 Petr Yan vs. No. 13 Marcus McGhee.
After losing three straight fights, Yan is now riding a two-fight win streak and is coming off a victory against former champion Deiveson Figueiredo. McGhee, 35, is 4-0 in the UFC, and his lone career defeat was three years ago. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Yan is a -375 favorite as McGhee is a +295 underdog.
The Prelims begin at noon on ESPN/ESPN+, with the Main Card starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Check out the entire card below.
Main Card | 3:00 p.m. ET | ABC
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #5 Robert Whittaker vs. #13 Reinier de Ridder Main Event | 27-8 (17-6 UFC) vs. 20-2 (3-0 UFC) | Lightweight | -155 vs. +130 |
| #3 Petr Yan vs. #13 Marcus McGhee | 18-5 (10-4 UFC) vs. 10-1 (4-0 UFC) | Middleweight | -375 vs. +295 |
| Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault | 15-1 (4-1 UFC) vs. 17-9 (6-8 UFC) | Welterweight | -625 vs. +455 |
| #8 Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa | 21-3 (4-1 UFC) vs. 19-3 (1-1 UFC) | Featherweight | -115 vs. -105 |
| #10 Nikita Krylov vs. #13 Bogdan Guskov | 30-10 (11-8 UFC) vs. 17-3 (3-1 UFC) | Lightweight | -185 vs. +154 |
Prelims | 12:00 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #15 Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov | Bantamweight | 17-4 (8-3 UFC) vs. 18-4 (7-3 UFC) | -125 vs. +105 |
| Muslim vs. Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal | Welterweight | 21-5 (8-4 UFC) vs. 22-6 (1-1 UFC) | +350 vs. -455 |
| Davey Grant vs. Da’Mon Blackshear | Bantamweight | 16-7 (7-6 UFC) vs. 17-7-1 (5-3-1 UFC) | +250 vs. -310 |
| #7 Amanda Ribas vs. #10 Tabatha Ricci | W Strawweight | 12-6 (7-5 UFC) vs. 11-3 (6-3 UFC) | -185 vs. +154 |
| Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana | Light Heavyweight | 14-2 (2-1 UFC) vs. 7-2 (0-1 UFC) | -265 vs. +215 |
| Mohammad Yahya vs. Steven Nguyen | Featherweight | 12-5 (0-2 UFC) vs. 9-2 (0-1 UFC) | +310 vs. -395 |
| #13 Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha | Heavyweight | 15-2 (6-1 UFC) vs. 5-1 | +235 vs. -290 |
