Reinier de Ridder has officially entered the world of the middleweight elite after a grueling battle against Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.

Robert Whittaker is on his first losing skid in more than 11 years after UFC Abu Dhabi, raising questions about his future.

The latest UFC Fight Night event was held in Abu Dhabi and was headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Reinier De Ridder.

A middleweight clash with title implications headlines UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. Former UFC champion Robert Whittaker and former two-division ONE Championship king Reinier de Ridder fight weeks before a 185-pound title fight at UFC 319.

Robert Whittaker thinks he "ticked all the boxes" to get his hand raised vs. Reinier de Ridder at UFC Abu Dhabi.

UFC on ABC 9 took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday afternoon, with former champion Robert Whittaker facing Reiner de Ridder in the main event. Here are the full results.

Reinier de Ridder picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he took a hard-fought split decision over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Abu Dhabi.

Reinier de Ridder had a quick comeback when hearing of Paulo Costa's negative review of his UFC Abu Dhabi win.