Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8) is back in the octagon this month, taking on Dutch fighter Reiner de Ridder (20-2) at UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi on July 26.
Ranked fifth in the middleweight division, Whittaker will look to bounce back after a first-round submission defeat at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308.
The Dutchman is currently ranked well below him at No. 13 in the division but is riding a streak of form with four-straight wins — with two of them coming by submission — Kevin Holland (rear-naked choke) and Gerald Meerschaert (arm-triangle choke), with his most recent fight, handing highly-rated Bo Nickal his first-career loss at UFC Des Moines.
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Whittaker, who boasts a takedown defence of 81 percent is well equipped stylistically in the matchup, but will have his work cut out for him against de Ridder, with 13 of his 20 wins coming by submission.
"It's an interesting one to prepare for because there's not a lot of guys with his style and his standup," de Ridder said of Whittaker.
"Very explosive, likes to leap in, hands low, good punches, good kicks. So it's not an easy one to prepare for in any way, shape, or form.
"We'll see where it goes. You'll see me do the same thing I always do: Put the pressure, get close, try to hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out. That's the plan."
While Whittaker initially had his sights set on a matchup with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, the 34-year-old believes a win against de Ridder will take him one step closer to another title shot, already mapping out a fairytale finish to his career.
"Four fights. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I want four more, that’s me. I see the stepping stones needed to do what I want to do,” Whittaker said to FOX Sports Australia. "Four fights gets me into that title shot, gets me into a position to finish on top, to have that fairy tale ending. I’m working towards it."
"..I’m not disheartened in my striking ability, my knockout ability, so I go into this fight still with a lot of confidence that I can do what it is that I do. Prior to the Chimaev fight, that I did to Ikram, that I did to Costa, striking’s my game. He’s going to look to try and take me down and I’m not going to let him."
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