Following his victory, de Ridder, ranked 13th heading into the Whittaker fight, called for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.

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.

The Dutch Knight, Reinier de Ridder, pulled off the biggest victory of his UFC career on Saturday night, narrowly edging out former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker via split decision in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena.