Reinier de Ridder returns to the capital for the biggest fight of his career
There’s something poetic about Reinier de Ridder’s (RdR) return to Abu Dhabi. A decade ago, the Dutch dynamo clinched his first major title on the mats of the capital at the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu Jitsu Championship. Fast forward to 2025, and he’s back, only this time, the gloves are off, the lights are brighter, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
On Saturday, July 26, de Ridder will step into the Octagon at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi for his first-ever UFC main event, facing none other than former champion Robert Whittaker in what promises to be a middleweight blockbuster. But this moment? It’s been years in the making.
“I’ve been grinding like crazy in Florida,” he tells What’s On. “I moved my family here for the year. All focus is on this fight. It’s big it’s Whittaker. It’s the kind of opportunity you dream about.”
For fans who’ve followed RdR from his ONE Championship days to his recent knockout of Bo Nickal, the meteoric rise isn’t exactly a shock. But even he’s surprised by how fast things have moved since his UFC debut in November last year. “They’ve given me every opportunity. I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
It’s fitting that de Ridder’s next defining moment will take place in Abu Dhabi. The city isn’t just another venue, it’s part of his origin story. “It’s always been special to me. That first big win was here. To be back now, headlining a UFC card? It feels full circle.”
His journey to MMA wasn’t a straight path. After back-to-back frustrating Jiu Jitsu finals where opponents “stalled for eight minutes”, he knew he was done with the points game. “I remember thinking, I’m never doing this again. I want to fight. I want to finish people.”
And that’s exactly what he’s been doing. De Ridder’s last performance was a showstopper, a second-round TKO that’s still making highlight reels. And if he can deliver something similar against Whittaker?
“If I can finish him early, do it spectacularly, I think I’ve got a real shot at the title,” he says. The name floating around? Dricus du Plessis, the current champ.
One thing’s certain: de Ridder is no longer the grappler chasing points, he’s the fighter chasing greatness. And fittingly, Abu Dhabi might just be where he claims it, just as he did over a decade ago when he stepped onto the mats at the Jiu Jitsu World Championship and “faced off in the finals against a 130kg giant guy… I was able to throw him and choke him out eventually, so that was amazing already.”
This was his first time in Abu Dhabi, and we can all relate, there’s something magical about arriving here for the first time. Like RdR, who hadn’t travelled much before, “it was different from Holland, my home. They picked me up in an Escalade, like a crazy expensive car at the time. I thought ‘where did I end up with this Jiu Jitsu thing?’”, he said. But are we even surprised? The UAE always does it big, and we love it.
Having won the championship, this was the moment everything changed. “I beat everybody and got given an envelope with money and that was crazy for me, to be able to make money doing sports. It was very much a moment of me looking forward, like if I can do this for a couple more years and if this can be my job, it would be amazing.”
RdR also thanked UAE Warriors, especially Fouad Darwish, “they really took a chance on me, giving me a fight there. They’ve really helped me out and I have a huge part of this last year of my career in UFC to thank them, so Abu Dhabi will always be very special to me.”
We asked RdR if he had a full day off in Abu Dhabi, how would he spend it? “Lay down, chill at the beach, get a lot of food, I like Indian food and go to the desert. I’ve never done sandboarding there,” he laughs.
RdR also said that UFC in Abu Dhabi really became a spotlight moment during Covid, when it was the only venue in the world hosting fights. “Their way of putting the fighters first is just really special, the way they treat their athletes is something different.”
He wrapped up our interview with a message to his UAE fans: “Hopefully you guys come out, support me like you always do and I believe you will. See you guys soon.”
It’s an exciting build-up for Reinier de Ridder, one we have no doubt will be an edge-of-your-seat moment. “Abu Dhabi is my place,” he says and it’ll be even more special if he walks away with the win, just like he did over 10 years ago at the Jiu Jitsu Championship.
Location: Etihad Arena, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Date: 26 July
Tickets: etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae
Image: Getty Images
