Whittaker, the former interim Middleweight champion, is looking to bounce back after losing to Khamzat Chimaev by submission at UFC 308 last October. He has a career record of 26-8 with 10 wins coming by knockout.

SportsLine's Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC Fight Night fight card from Etihad Arena at Yas Island in Yas West United Arab Emirates on Saturday

The Ultimate Fighting Championship goes to “The Emirates” for UFC Fight Night. Middleweights Robert Whittaker (27-8-0) takes on Reinier de Ridder (20-2-0), as the main card’s marquee matchup. On Saturday,

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (a.k.a. “Fight Island”) later TODAY (Sat., July 26, 2025) to stage the “Whittaker vs. de Ridder”-led event,

Mixed martial arts legend Ben Askren has a positive long-term prognosis after recently undergoing a double lung transplant.

The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi with a former middleweight champion taking on a rising new contender. UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below.

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski is looking to stay active this year after regaining his title with a win in April at UFC 314.

In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

First, the PFL Champions Series Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, saw a shocking conclusion to its main event middleweight title fight. Johnny Eblen, the incoming champion, was up on the scorecards heading into the fifth round. However, Costello Van Steenis pulled off a last-second rear-naked choke to snatch the title away.

The UFC stays on the road this weekend with an event in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 12 fights on the card.

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