Reinier de Ridder bullies Robert Whittaker, keeps 185 goofy || UFC Abu Dhabi breakdown

Reinier de Ridder just shook up the UFC middleweight division in a big way.

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Chapters: 0:00 Reinier de Ridder has arrived9:51 Petr Yan reminds y’all who he is15:32 I don’t care for Shara Bullet19:41 Bryce Mitchell is good, but unlikeable

In what turned out to be a highly competitive but emphatic performance, de Ridder defeated Robert Whittaker in Abu Dhabi, cementing himself as a top-five contender and proving that his size, IQ, and relentless clinch game can translate to the UFC level. From knees to the body to smart cage control, de Ridder showed why Bo Nickal’s loss to him may not look so bad in hindsight. Meanwhile, Whittaker—an all-time great who’s carried the division through eras of Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman, and Israel Adesanya—may have just hit the end of the road.

In the co-main event, Petr Yan returned to form in vintage fashion, taking out rising contender Marcus McGhee. Yan’s technical brilliance was on full display—inside low kicks, stance switches, elbows in the clinch—it was the kind of performance that reminded everyone why he was once the bantamweight champ. McGhee, for all his boxing skill and toughness, simply wasn’t ready for this level of competition. Still, at 35 years old and training out of MMA Lab, McGhee showed flashes that suggest he belongs in the rankings.

Bryce Mitchell made his bantamweight debut against Said Nurmagomedov and put together a gritty, control-heavy game plan. After surviving an early knee that may or may not have erased his memory for a few seconds, Mitchell clinched up, neutralized the kicking game, and muscled his way to a decision win. The Arkansas native continues to be one of the more controversial but undeniably effective fighters in the UFC. Whether it’s pulling off Americana attempts or scrambling out of danger, Mitchell proves once again that he doesn’t lose to bad fighters.

Further down the UFC Abu Dhabi card, Tabatha Ricci destroyed Amanda Ribas with a brutal orbital-breaking performance, while Davy Grant lit up Da’Mon Blackshear in another all-action fight. Muslim Salikhov landed a one-punch KO on Carlston Harris that reminded everyone why he's still known as the King of Kung Fu. Billy Goff took a strong decision win over Edilson Ferreira, and Steven Nguyen set a UFC record with seven knockdowns in a wild bout against Mohammed Yahya. Jason Herzog might’ve let that one go a little long, but the damage spoke for itself.

Marc-André Barriault tried to walk down Sharabutdin Magomedov and nearly had success late, but couldn’t quite pull the trigger to capitalize on the pressure. Sharabutdin’s flashy but sometimes frustrating style was on display again—creative and elusive, but not always engaging.

Asu Almabayev ground out another win, this time over Jose Johnson, in classic Almabayev fashion. And then you’ve got Bogdan Guskov delivering a brutal knockout of Nikita Krylov, signaling a possible second wind in his career. Guskov has shown flashes before, but this may be the most decisive performance yet from the light heavyweight brawler.

In the heavyweight division, Martin Buday outgrappled Mick Parkin—yes, the same Parkin who was once touted as a future elite grappler and ADCC-level prospect. Buday’s control, timing, and pressure turned what was expected to be a chess match into a one-sided grindfest.

This was a card filled with big moments, statement wins, and some possible career closures. Whether it was Robert Whittaker showing signs of wear against a surging de Ridder, or Petr Yan reasserting himself as one of the best technical strikers in MMA, UFC Abu Dhabi delivered.

For fans of UFC full card breakdowns, fight commentary, and high-level MMA analysis, this is one to watch. We break down each fight, each adjustment, and each storyline in this episode. From Bryce Mitchell's takedown tactics to Yan’s stance-switching brilliance, there’s a ton to learn and appreciate. Whether you're in it for the knockouts, the strategy, or the future matchups, this breakdown has something for you.

Make sure to catch our upcoming film study on Reinier de Ridder’s performance, where we’ll take a deep dive into how he used the southpaw stance, knees, and cage control to shut down one of the most experienced middleweights in the game.

If you’re following fighters like Bo Nickal, Sean O’Malley, Khamzat Chimaev, Israel Adesanya, and others across the middleweight and bantamweight divisions, stay tuned—because the matchups coming out of this event could shape the top of both divisions for the rest of the year.