Robert Whittaker’s Explosive UFC Comeback: Highlights, Reaction, and What’s Next

Robert Whittaker has never been one to choose the easy road, and the former UFC middleweight champion is proving it again this week in Abu Dhabi. At Friday’s official weigh-ins he hit the 186-pound non-title limit on the first attempt, locking in Saturday’s main-event clash with former ONE Championship double-titleholder Reinier de Ridder, who also came in on target. For Whittaker, 34, the bout is the opening chapter of an ambitious four-fight sprint he hopes will end with a second reign atop the 185-lb division before retirement. “I’m fighting for that fairytale ending,” he told UFC.com earlier in the week, outlining a plan that would see him topple de Ridder, secure two more wins over ranked contenders, and then challenge for the belt one last time. The Australian star’s choice of opponent underscores that intent. De Ridder, 34, dominated in ONE with world-class grappling and remains unbeaten at middleweight. A victory over the Dutchman would instantly restore Whittaker’s No. 1-contender credentials and erase memories of last year’s upset loss to rising phenom Roman Dolidze. “I wanted the most dangerous fight available,” Whittaker told reporters. “If I can’t beat a guy like Reinier, I don’t deserve another title shot.” Whittaker’s refusal to take tune-ups is rooted in hard-earned lessons. After losing the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019, he rebuilt with eight grueling bouts against top-10 talent. That run solidified him as the division’s perennial gatekeeper, but also left his body battered. The Sydney native openly considered retirement in 2024 after a freak rib cartilage tear that UFC doctors called “something they’d never seen”. Yet time away rekindled his competitive fire. Speaking to Australian media, Whittaker admitted he “had to sprint through hell” in camp to regain peak conditioning, logging sparring rounds with Olympic judoka and hiring a sports psychologist to sharpen his mental edge. Coaches say the former champion’s footwork looks sharper than it has since his title-winning run in 2017. For de Ridder, the matchup is an overdue debut inside the UFC’s Octagon, and he has promised to “drag Whittaker into deep water.” The Dutch star owns 11 career submissions and has never gone five rounds. Whittaker, by contrast, has logged 145 Octagon minutes over his last seven fights and believes cardio will be the difference. Strategically, look for Whittaker’s trademark in-and-out striking against de Ridder’s single-leg entries and body-lock trips. If the Australian can maintain the center of the cage and stuff early takedowns, he should be able to open up his kick-boxing combinations in the championship rounds. But a single misstep could see de Ridder latch to Whittaker’s back, where the Dutchman’s rear-naked choke has finished seven opponents. Saturday’s clash headlines a sold-out Fight Night card at Etihad Arena and streams globally on ESPN+. A dominant win would catapult Whittaker toward a likely fall showdown with No. 2 contender Dricus du Plessis, while de Ridder could leapfrog the queue with an upset. Either way, the middleweight landscape will look very different by Sunday morning. Whittaker summed it up best: “Legacy fights are supposed to be scary. That’s why people remember them.” Fans—and the division’s reigning champion—will be watching closely to see whether “The Reaper” can keep his fairytale alive.