Moving up to middleweight, ‘The Reaper’ has never before experienced consecutive losses, a streak broken only recently.
Robert Whittaker came up short against Reinier de Ridder in the main event at UFC Abu Dhabi over the weekend.
The fight went the distance, with a close fourth round seemingly tipping the split decision in de Ridder’s favour.
Some fans felt Whittaker had done enough to get his hand raised, but it was one of those matchups that could have gone either way. Media scores were also divided down the middle.
Now 34 and with 35 professional fights behind him, questions are starting to surface about where the former champion fits into today’s middleweight landscape.
Robert Whittaker speaks out on split decision loss to Reinier de Ridder
Days after his Saturday night fight in Abu Dhabi, Whittaker shared his post-fight reflections and current feelings on social media. Throughout his career, he has consistently shown respect as a competitor and maintained a positive outlook, even in the face of setbacks.
Staying true to that approach, Whittaker remains focused on getting back into training soon and addressing where things went wrong.
“Okay everybody, it’s a couple days since the fight, thought I’d give you all an update. I’m disappointed but I’m not disheartened. There were a lot of things I liked about the fight, there were a lot of things I didn’t, but I’m gonna take it all, head back to the gym, sit with the team, pick it apart and then get back on the horse.”
The former champion also acknowledged Reinier de Ridder’s game plan and execution as key factors in his defeat.
“Congratulations to de Ridder. He had a particular game plan, he executed it well, it got him the win. It is what it is sometimes.”
Robert Whittaker expresses desire to make his next return to Australia
In his recent social media video, Robert Whittaker mentioned where he’d like his next fight to take place. Without specifying a timeline or opponent, he made it clear that he’d prefer his next bout to be in Australia.
It’s been quite some time since ‘The Reaper’ last fought on home soil, with his most recent appearance being the loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243 back in 2019.
“This isn’t the end of Robert Whittaker, this is just another learning curve. Another speed bump. I’m gonna spend some time with my family. Just rest and recover a little bit and then hopefully get back on an Australian card. It’s been a while and honestly, I’m longing for it. It’s been a while since I’ve fought in Australia and I’d love to fight here again. It’s time, but that’s me. Thanks everybody, tuning out.”
The UFC has plans to return to Perth soon, but with the event scheduled for September 27th, it seems unlikely that Whittaker will be ready by then – pointing towards an early 2026 comeback.
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