Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) was lost a split decision to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. He almost finished De Ridder when he dropped him in Round 3, but the former ONE dual-champion hung tough to outlast him.

The Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder scorecard at UFC Abu Dhabi shows how the judges scored their close fight Saturday evening. de Ridder remains perfect in his UFC career when he won a split decision over former UFC champion Whittaker in the main event (47-48,

Reinier de Ridder eked out the biggest win of his career against Robert Whittaker.De Ridder defeated Whittaker, a former UFC middleweight champion, via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event Saturday at Etihad Arena.