For De Ridder it was his fourth fight under the flag of the UFC during one of the famous Gala evenings. He all won the previous three, but a game against Whittaker, noted as Main Event, provided a new step and extra challenge for the 34-year-old Bredanaar.
Reinier de Ridder impresses at UFC and is ready for Clash: ‘Give myself a good chance against Robert Whittaker’
And that also turned out in the first round. The pace of Whittaker was too high for De Ridder, but it then hit back in round two, especially thanks to striking thumps with his knee. The similar battle mainly had a popping start of round three, in which the knight first briefly prevailed and then distributed Whittaker considerably, while the Dutchman lay on his back. Nevertheless, De Ridder survived that situation and so the two stayed together in fight until round five.
After the knockout was not yet removed here, the jury gave his opinion about the battle. It came down to a Split Decision, but in favor of the Dutchman: 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47.