Reinier de Ridder has been handed a massive opportunity following his knockout win over Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines last weekend.
Former ONE Championship two-division world champion de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has enjoyed a blistering start to his UFC career since signing with the promotion late last year.
The Dutchman submitted Gerald Meerschaert in his Octagon debut at the UFC Apex in November, then followed it up with another submission victory over Kevin Holland at UFC 311 in January.
Those two impressive wins earned him a high-profile matchup against previously unbeaten Pennsylvania State wrestling prodigy Bo Nickal in the co-main event at UFC Des Moines. "RDR" earned the biggest statement victory of his UFC career so far, dominating Nickal before finishing him with vicious knees to the body in the second round, an outcome that earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
He is now set to face former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (25-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) in a five-round main event in Abu Dhabi on July 26.
"The Reaper" returns to competition for the first time since suffering a brutal injury while being submitted by Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi last October. The Australian had required dental surgery in the wake of that bout.
Prior to that loss, Whittaker’s only defeats over the past decade had come against former champions—Israel Adesanya (twice) and Dricus Du Plessis.
The only other fight that has been confirmed for the card so far is a flyweight contest between Asu Almabayev and Ramazan Temirov.
Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) recently fell to the first defeat of his UFC career at the hands of Manel Kape. He faces a tough test against Temirov (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) who has enjoyed an exciting start to his UFC tenure, picking up wins over CJ Vergara and Charles Johnson since signing with the promotion late in 2024.
