Reinier de Ridder has officially entered the world of the middleweight elite after a grueling battle against Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.

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

In the main event on July 26, Reinier de Ridder defeated Robert Whittaker to continue his undefeated run since signing to the UFC last year. It may not have been the statement performance that de Ridder was looking for, with some fans believing that Whittaker deserved the win, but it was still a huge result for the Dutchman.

In the UFC on ABC 9 main event Saturday, de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) over five rounds. The decision was a split set of 48-47 scorecards. The event took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

De Ridder bet on himself and the gamble has paid off tenfold thus far. In the UFC, "RDR" has become a low-key Fighter of the Year candidate, with the potential to become a front-runner if he gets past Whittaker and then rattles off another big win before the end of 2025 for a 4-0 campaign.

Now 34, Whittaker has been with the UFC since 2012 and was its champion for nearly two full years from 2017 to 2019 before he was TKO'd by Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 in Melbourne,

On Episode 3,585, the guys welcome in UFC middleweight Reinier de Ridder, who takes on former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9. The fellas also recap UFC 318, which went down in New Orleans, featuring Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway for the BMF title. Tune in!