Reinier de Ridder issues bold preview of upcoming Robert Whittaker clash at UFC Abu Dhabi: "I'm a striker now"
Reinier de Ridder recently expressed confidence in his chances against former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi. De Ridder vowed to secure a knockout victory against Whittaker.
No. 5 ranked Whittaker is set to make his octagon return in a middleweight bout against de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
With a win over Whittaker, the Dutch fighter hopes to get into the top 10 of the midweight rankings. In a recent interview with combat sports news outlet 'Home of battle', the emerging contender predicted a knockout victory in his upcoming bout, saying:
''There's a lot to study, of course, all the fights that he's had. A legend, as you say. First main event in UFC, five rounds. So yeah, it's a big one...I see he's very explosive, very fast. I think if I can put a pressure on him like I did to Bo, I think I'll make a good chance...I'm a striker now, I'm a striker now so yeah, fu*k Jiu-Jitsu."
Check out Reinier de Ridder's comments below:
De Ridder will aim to repeat his performance against Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines last month. Despite his grappling prowess, the former ONE Championship two-division champion knocked out Nickal with devastating knees to the body in the second round, sending the American to the canvas.
Meanwhile, Whittaker took on undefeated contender Khamzat Chimaev in his recent octagon outing at UFC 308 last year. Chimaev displayed his dominance from the opening bell and submitted 'The Reaper' with a tight rear naked choke in the first round, breaking the latter's jaw in the process.
Reinier de Ridder aims for UFC gold with a potential win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi
Reinier de Ridder enters the upcoming fight night event with a four fight win streak. He is 3-0 since making his successful octagon debut last year. The 34-year-old is now scheduled to face Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi and a victory might put him in title contention.
In an interview with MMA Junkie last month, de Ridder discussed his path to UFC gold while sharing his opinions on Whittaker's abilities.
''The Ikram (Aliskerov) fight is not that long ago, and he looked amazing in that one. The Khamzat fight was a bit unfortunate, I think, with the injury he came into it with. But he's still there, very explosive, very dangerous dude. So I'm going to get into camp as soon as possible and get ready...If I just keep making good on all these opportunities, I think I have a good chance to fight for the title in a little while here."
Check out Reinier de Ridder's comments below (3:02):