After falling short at UFC Abu Dhabi, what’s next for Robert Whittaker?

This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, we saw a big time matchup in the middleweight division. Former champion Robert Whittaker (26-9) was taking on the surging top contender and former ONE champion Reinier De Ridder (21-2).

Bobby Knuckles made the walk on Saturday looking to avoid his second straight loss which would be the first time he’s lost two in a row since moving up to middleweight. I really liked him in this matchup and thought his speed and striking would play a big factor in his ability to win this fight.

However, one thing I didn’t give RDR enough credit with is his pressure. From the opening bell, De Ridder did a great job of closing the distance while using the clinch and very powerful knees to the body. He was able to land takedowns throughout the fight and he hurt Whittaker several times to the body.

One of the times he hurt Whittaker, he really went in for the finish a little recklessly and Whittaker ended up dropping him with a big right hand. After all the back-and-forth, I had the fight even heading into the final round at UFC Abu Dhabi. In a close round, I thought De Ridder did enough and he ultimately secured a split decision win over the former champion.

What’s next after UFC Abu Dhabi?

As mentioned above, this is the first time since moving to middleweight that Robert Whittaker has lost two fights in a row. In the rankings update, he’s dropped to seventh which is crazy to think about given how strongly he’s held in the top five over the years. Now, he’ll really need a win in his next fight.

With that, what should the UFC do with him next? I think there are a couple of fights that make sense for Whittaker. I still really like the idea of Whittaker facing Sean Strickland. However, Sean Strickland was recently suspended so there’s no word on when he’ll be able to fight again. If he can turn around in a reasonable amount of time, I really like that fight.

I also would really pay attention to the winner of the UFC 319 matchup between Jared Cannonier and Michael “Venom” Page. Whoever wins that matchup would line up well against Whittaker. The third option I can think of is the loser of the matchup between Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov which goes down in September.