UFC Fight Night: Whittaker and De Ridder Set for UAE Showdown

The UFC heads back to the United Arab Emirates for Fight Night at the Etihad Arena, Yas Island, with a stacked card on Saturday, July 26.

The co-main event is a thrilling showdown between Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder. Read on as we preview the upcoming event.

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Robert Whittaker vs Reinier de Ridder

Whittaker is determined to bounce back from the loss to Khamzat Chimaev and make another charge for the UFC middleweight title.

The 34-year-old is a battle-tested customer putting his place in the top five on the line as he looks to prove he deserves to remain in the upper echelon of the division. It is hard to bet against him.

The Kiwi fighter is unsurprisingly the overwhelming favourite, with bookmakers rating him as a 1.62 shot to come out on top against De Ridder in the UAE.

Sports betting sites will be inundated with wagers backing Whittaker to clinch the win. However, De Ridder is a dangerous opponent with momentum on his side.

De Ridder stopped the Bo Nickal hype train in his last match. The Dutchman showed an accomplished ground game before finishing Nickal with a lethal knee.

The former ONE double champion will pose a problem for Whittaker. De Ridder's two-way threat has made him a tough nut to crack in the UFC.

The 34-year-old has the height and reach advantage and will be aware that a win against Whittaker would put him in the conversation for a title shot. He will be desperate to upset the odds.

Sharaputdin Magomedov vs Marc-Andre Barriault

Sharaputdin Magomedov was climbing to the top of the middleweight division, but struggled with the step up to face Michael Venom Page in his last fight and suffered his first loss.

He now takes on Marc-Andre Barriault, who defeated Bruno Silva in the first round to end his run of three successive losses in his last outing. Barriault took home a Performance of the Night bonus for his clinical showing.

With Magomedov hoping to break into the top 15 and prove his mettle to the mixed martial arts world, he needs to put away Barriault.

The bookmakers believe that the skilful Russian Muay Thai expert should have the edge, rating him as a 1.30 chance of emerging victorious in the UAE.

However, Barriault is a stubborn opponent looking for back-to-back wins for the first time since 2023. He will put the pressure on from the first minute and try to break Magomedov.

Standing to trade against Magomedov would not be the wisest strategy for the Canadian. Barriault will need to be constantly on the move to stand a chance.

Rest of the Card

The eagerly-anticipated light heavyweight clash between Nikita Krylov and Bogdan Guskov is a classic striker versus all-rounder match-up.

Krylov is the more experienced operator. He boasts victories over Volkan Oezdemir, Alexander Gustafsson and Johnny Walker.

He is a dangerous grappler and high-volume striker, while Guskov is a knockout artist with serious power but questionable stamina. If Krylov avoids early danger, he could dominate the later rounds or secure a submission.

Asu Almabayev recently lost his first fight in the UFC and needs to put his name back in the win column. He will bring a relentless grappling game when he faces Ramazan Temirov.

Temirov will be eyeing a spot in the top ten flyweight rankings if he can secure his third win in the UFC, and Almabayev will provide a true test of his ability at this level.

The MMA world will be keen to see how the promising 28-year-old Uzbekistan fighter fares against a dogged competitor. The odds are stacked against him, and he needs to rise to the occasion.

Light heavyweight fighter Ibo Aslan will bid to return to winning ways when he takes on Billy Elekana, who suffered a loss on his UFC debut.

Aslan is a Turkish knockout machine with 14 finishes in his 14 wins and he is strongly fancied to enhance his impressive record in the UAE.

I (AKA CatBurg) have a lifelong passion for sports, especially football and basketball. I enjoy the thrill and excitement of sports betting and everything in between. My teams are (Packers #GoPackGo) and who I am betting on!