Robert Whittaker 'looking to send a message' against Reinier de Ridder

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-8) headlines the July 26 UFC on ABC fight card in Abu Dhabi against the rising Dutchman Reinier de Ridder (20-2).

Whittaker will look to rebound from a first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ranked No. 5 in the division, Whittaker will be fighting down in the rankings. De Ridder is currently ranked No. 13, but is riding a four-fight winning streak with finishes over all three of his UFC opponents. 

"I've been preparing for a fight, trying to stay ready for a fight. I was looking for June," Whittaker told Submission Radio. "But it never kind of came around. And then they came back to me and said RDR, July, Abu Dhabi... I just jumped at the opportunity and said, yes, and here we are."  

Thirteen of de Ridder's 20 wins have been via submission. He defended multiple takedown attempts from former three-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler Bo Nickal in his last fight. Whittaker recognizes de Ridder's grappling ability but believes he'll be able to dictate how the fight goes.

"He's a dangerous guy," Whittaker said. "If you look at a lot of guys in the Top 5, all those guys have like really good grappling and a very dangerous skillset. You have to. You have to have a very well-rounded, dangerous skillset, high-level skillset to play in these upper numbers.

"But honestly, I think this fight is going to be one where if I push the pace to where I want it to go, if I control the fight, control the dance, I can take the fight to where I want it to go," Whittaker continued. "I can really maneuver the fight and push it into places where I'm really strong." 

Whittaker wants to make a statement against de Ridder and use the win as the first step to working his way back to a championship opportunity. 

"I want to set a statement in this next fight. I want to really send a message and work my way up to the title," Whittaker said.