Reinier de Ridder has his sights firmly set on a UFC title shot.
After a red-hot start to his UFC tenure, de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is set to face former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.
De Ridder, a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion in ONE Championship, enters the bout in top form, having finished Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland, and Bo Nickal since joining the UFC in late 2024.
In contrast, Whittaker will return to the Octagon for the first time since suffering a serious dental injury during his loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 in October.
Although Whittaker was submitted in the opening round by “Borz,” de Ridder doesn’t believe that result accurately reflects where the former champion stands at this stage of his career.
"The Ikram (Aliskerov) fight is not that long ago, and he looked amazing in that one," De Ridder said this week during an interview with MMA Junkie. "The Khamzat fight was a bit unfortunate, I think, with the injury he came into it with. But he's still there, very explosive, very dangerous dude. So I'm going to get into camp as soon as possible and get ready."
De Ridder, long regarded as a dangerous submission specialist, surprised many by dominating Bo Nickal on the feet during the co-main event at UFC Des Moines last month.
That victory earned him the highest-profile matchup of his career to date—and Robert Whittaker is not an opponent the Dutchman plans to underestimate.
"It's an interesting one to prepare for because there's not a lot of guys with his style and his standup," De Ridder said of Whittaker. "Very explosive, likes to leap in, hands low, good punches, good kicks. So it's not an easy one to prepare for in any way, shape, or form. We'll see where it goes. You'll see me do the same thing I always do: Put the pressure, get close, try to hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out. That's the plan."
After making a statement with his arrival in the UFC, Reinier de Ridder believes that a win over a high-profile opponent like Robert Whittaker could be enough to earn him a shot at the middleweight title. He’s eyeing the winner of the upcoming championship clash between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, scheduled for UFC 319 in August.
"It's crazy, so cool to get another shot like this," De Ridder said of fighting Whittaker. "If I just keep making good on all these opportunities, I think I have a good chance to fight for the title in a little while here."
