Psychologist-turned-UFC star aims for spectacular finish

It's hard to mistake Reinier de Ridder's quiet conviction when he talks about Abu Dhabi. There's reverence in his voice. Not just because he's headlining UFC Fight Night on July 26 at the iconic Etihad Arena, but because the UAE capital is where everything once seemed possible, and now, it's where it all comes full circle.

- Leslie Wilson Jr

In just under a year, "The Dutch Knight" has gone from debutant to main eventer. He's done it with ruthless clarity-three fights, three finishes. A pair of signature submissions over Gerald Meerschaert, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Kevin Holland, who earned two Performance of the Night bonuses in 2025 (vs. Nelson, Luque). His UFC arrival wasn't quiet. It was calculated and clinical, and his statement of intent came loudest at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, in May, where he fought on the Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo card.

Facing Bo Nickal, the Olympic-calibre wrestling phenom who had bulldozed his way through early UFC opposition, De Ridder flipped the script.

In a fight billed as 'grappler vs grappler', it was "The Dutch Knight" who brandished the sharper sword. Stuffing out Nickal's early takedown attempts, he then punished the 2019 U23 World 2020 Olympic Team Trials finalist with slicing elbows and crisp clinch work, before ending it all with a stunning second-round TKO.

Now, he faces Robert Whittaker, the former UFC middleweight champion and perennial Sam an Māori elite, in a clash that could rewire the middleweight title landscape.

"It's very cool," De Ridder told Khaleej Times. "To be fighting Robert, a former champ, as the main event in Abu Dhabi, a place that's very dear to me, that's special."

Special, yes. But sentiment won't cloud strategic thinking. De Ridder isn't just bringing heart to Abu Dhabi; he's bringing a game plan. A man of many layers and accomplishments, including black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo, a trained physiotherapist, and a former psychologist, he's dissecting this fight with the precision of a surgeon as Whittaker, a dangerous and decorated opponent, is his most complex puzzle yet.

The Dutchman has fought killers already, yet it's not the names or makeup of his opponents, it's how he's won that demands total attention.