The headline event at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi lived up to its hype as Reinier de Ridder secured a split-decision victory over Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena on Saturday night.
De Ridder secured a 48-47 decision from two judges, Ben Cartlidge and David Lethaby, while Mike Bell gave the contest to Whittaker 48-47.
Whittaker put up a markedly improved performance since his last fight in the promotion, where the Australian suffered a first-round defeat in just three minutes and 34 seconds; forced to tap out by Khamzat Chimaev in October last year.
On Saturday, Whittaker landed a big knockdown with a strike in the third round of the middleweight match. However, de Ridder - who has a 20-2 record and has been on a roll since moving out of One Championship - recovered and dominated the stat sheet.
De Ridder landed 192 total strikes, while Whittaker connected on only 70. Additionally, de Ridder recorded two takedowns.
"I expected to take him down and choke him out," de Ridder said. "He was amazing. So tough, so durable, heavy hands."
"I don't want to fight anyone like this man again," de Ridder added.
"He was too tough. I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat (Chimaev) or Dricus (Du Plessis)."
The 34-year-old thus continued his rise up the ranks in the middleweight division, picking up his fourth straight UFC win and fifth MMA victory in a row.
It also marked a significant milestone in De Ridder's MMA career. The Dutchman had been handed a contract in the promotion last July shortly after appearing at UAE Warriors. It followed a falling out with One Championship, an organisation where he was a double world champion, leading to a period of inactivity.
It was De Ridder's fourth straight victory in UFC after recording wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal, all without going the distance.
Elsewhere on the main card, Bogdan Guskov knocked out Nikita Krylov 4:18 into the first round of their light heavyweight clash. It is the fourth consecutive win by either knockout or submission for the Uzbekistani.
Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision in a bantamweight clash. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.
In the middleweight division, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss against Michael Page in February to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.
Flyweight fighter Asu Almabayev also won by unanimous decision, defeating 24-year-old Peruvian Jose Ochoa. Ochoa battled hard and landed 118 total strikes, but Almabayev controlled the fight with seven takedowns.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance: the specs
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 plus rear-mounted electric motor
Power: 843hp at N/A rpm
Torque: 1470Nm N/A rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.6L/100km
On sale: October to December
Price: From Dh875,000 (estimate)
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
