Reiner de Ridder was able to survive a third round knockdown against Robert Whittaker tonight at UFC On ABC 9 in Abu Dhabi and then employed a grinding strategy to edge out his tiring opponent in the later rounds and emerge with a split-decision victory.
Round One
Whittaker lands a left hand and de Ridder backs off awkardly. De Ridder goes for a single leg and is battling for it as Whittaker tries to fend him off. Whittaker keeps his balance and de Ridder gives up on that, but continues to stay clinched up in the center of the Octagon. The action stalls here and then eventually Whittaker breaks free.
Whittaker darts in with a couple of punches but doesn’t find the mark. However, a one-two does land. Jab from de Ridder and then attempts a takedown that’s stuffed by Whittaker.
Jab for Whittaker. De Ridder circling on the outside. Another step-in jab from Whittaker. De Ridder puts out his jab. Whittaker stalking him here. Missed punch from de Ridder and Whittaker lands a few punches in response.
Another jab for Whittaker. De Ridder fails on another takedown. Body punch from de Ridder. Now a knee to the body from de Ridder and is able to clinch up against the cage.
Whittaker peels away. Jab for him. Slow head kick from de Ridder is blocked. Whittaker with a one-two. He lands a clean left hook.
De Ridder threatening with a couple of knees attempts. Whittaker with a right hand. De Ridder feels out with a couple of front kicks upstairs late in the round, but they don’t connect.
Round Two
Missed head kick from de Ridder. Whittaker continues to stay light on his feet and dart in and out with the jab against his taller opponent.
Punch gets through for Whittaker. Grazing overhand from de Ridder. De Ridder trying to get some strikes going, but not landing cleanly.
Jab does land for de Ridder. He steps into a knee to the body. Whittaker not finding his range as well this round.
Good knee for de Ridder and that slowed Whittaker down enough that the Dutchman was able to finally land a successful takedown.
De Ridder in half-guard and happy to control for now. A few light strikes from de Ridder. Whittaker unable to get out from under him and de Ridder works a few elbows.
Round Three
Whittaker firing off a few punches to try to fend off the onrushing de Ridder’s latest takedown attempt, but misses. De Ridder applying a lot of pressure and putting Whittaker on the back foot.
However, Whittaker lands a big overhand right and drops de Ridder out of nowhere. Whittaker looking for a finish on the mat, but de Ridder is able to survive and work his way back to his feet. They clinch up for a moment and take a breather.
Back to striking range now. Whittaker with a one-two. He lands a nice right hand. Whittaker drives into a three-piece combo. De Ridder drives into a takedown and lands it near the center of the Octagon.
Half-guard for de Ridder and a little over two minutes to work. He needs to make the most of it though after being dropped earlier in the round.
More control time from de Ridder then passes to side control, but then back to half-guard. De Ridder tries for a d’arce choke, but Whittaker quickly shuts that down.
Final 30 seconds. A couple of body punches from de Ridder, but not really committing fully to offense here. He finally postures up and lands a few light punches in the closing seconds. Both fighters look a bit tired with two rounds still remaining.
Round Four
Another well-timed knee to the body from de Ridder brings him into range to clinch up against the cage. Whittaker prevents a trip takedown, but they remain in the clinch.
Whittaker gets away. He lands a few punches, but de Ridder gets back into the clinch again. Knee to the body from him and then Whittaker moves away.
De Ridder fails on a takedown, but clinches again. De Ridder with a couple of shoulder strikes. He tries for a throw, but Whittaker ends up on top. De Ridder able to get back to his feet though.
De Ridder trying to land a couple of labored punches. Whittaker tired too, but lands a fast right hand. De Ridder clinches up, but they soon break apart.
Jab lands for de Ridder. Jab for Whittaker. He misses on a left hook but does land a right hook afterwards. A couple of step-in knees for de Ridder. Right hand lands for de Ridder. Whittaker still looking for his in-and-out strikes, but his gas tank is running low.
Round Five
Jab lands for Whittaker. He lands it again. Another glances the target and de Ridder fails on a single-leg attempt. He’s able to clinch up against the cage though.
A few light body punches for de Ridder in close. Uppercut for de Ridder. Whittaker peels away. Missed knee from de Ridder then clinches again.
Whittaker away again. Single-leg for de Ridder and knocked Whittaker off-balance for a moment, but he recovers quickly and gets away. De Ridder clinches yet again but not for long.
Whittaker lands a jab. They jockey for position in another clinch position against the cage and de Ridder gets the advantageous position. Again Whittaker spins away.
Lunging body shot from Whittaker. He goes for that again. A third blow lands. Jab for de Ridder. Knee to the body from de Ridder and clinches again as we reach the final minute.
Perhaps for the final time Whittaker gets out of the clinch. 30 seconds to go. Whittaker with a right hand over the top. Glancing left hand. He steps in for another punch but that enables de Ridder to clinch again and run down the final 10 seconds with a few light punches.
Decision
A close fight then, with Whittaker having the early striking advantage, but re Ridder also able to get him down to the mat in the second round. The third round was the big turning point, with Whittaker able to floor de Ridder, but not finish him. RDR then managed to land a takedown and started to wear on Whittaker’s energy reserves. In the final rounds de Ridder continued to employ a grinding strategy with lots of clinch-work, and Whittaker didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to make his striking opportunities count. So it goes to a tight decision and it’s de Ridder who emerges victorious via split-decision (48-47 x2, 47-48)
It wasn’t an eye-catching performance from de Ridder here, but he showed toughness to survive adversity and did what he had to in order to emerge victorious over a former champion to extend his winning streak to four fights.
