UFC Abu Dhabi fight picks & predictions for Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder

UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Predictions

Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder

Whittaker may still have the speed to piece up de Ridder on the feet and avoid any prolonged grappling exchanges, but as a former welterweight I have concerns about how “The Reaper” will fair against a serious submission threat that’s also significantly larger than him.

(Pick: de Ridder)

Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee

Three-round fights are always a bit of a concern for Yan given that he can sometimes start slowly, but this is a massive step up for McGhee against a former UFC bantamweight champion.

(Pick: Yan)

Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault

This is a pretty clear step back for Magomedov after he came up short against Michael Page. Barriault certainly has some power, but if “Bullet” is allowed to fight from his preferred range then he should return to the win column here.

(Pick: Magomedov)

Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa

Ochoa impressed fans in his last outing against Cody Durden, but Almabayev feels like a tough stylistic matchup and is looking to bounce back from a loss to Manel Kape that at least temporarily halted his rise towards flyweight title contention.

(Pick: Almabayaev)

Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov

He’s certainly the more credentialed fighter, but after Krylov’s return fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 314 I’m hesitant to pick “The Miner” in a matchup with someone that hits as hard as Guskov.

(Pick: Guskov)

UFC Abu Dhabi Preliminary Card Predictions

Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov

Mitchell certainly hasn’t been given an easy matchup for his bantamweight debut, especially given how dangerous Nurmagomedov’s guillotine chokes are. “Thug Nasty” will need to watch his neck when the two men tie up, but I’ll side with Mitchell to get his hand raised.

(Pick: Mitchell)

Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal

I don’t love how heavily favored Leal is in this spot, but unless the 41-year-old Salikhov is able to end things with a big shot then I think the Brazilian should get the job done here.

(Pick: Leal)

Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Davey Grant

On paper this looks like a good chance for the younger fighter in Blackshear to extend his winning run, but I’m going to slightly lean with Grant to pull off the upset in one of the most intriguing fights at UFC Abu Dhabi.

(Pick: Grant)

Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci

This is an important strawweight matchup that probably deserves more attention than it’s getting, and I’ll side with Ribas to utilize a size advantage and snap the first two-fight skid of her career.

(Pick: Ribas)

Ibo Aslan vs. Billy Elekana

Elekana stepped in for a tough UFC debut against Bogdan Guskov earlier this year, and now he’s facing another dangerous finisher in Aslan that’s looking to rebound from being finished by Ion Cutelaba in February.

(Pick: Aslan)

Mohammad Yahya vs. Steve Nguyen

Yahya likely has his back against the wall after an 0-2 start to his UFC career, and unfortunately for him I think Nguyen will be the one to pick up his first Octagon victory when the two featherweights meet in Abu Dhabi.

(Pick: Nguyen)

Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha

It’s easy to forget that Buday is 6-1 since he joined the UFC given that some of his performances haven’t been the most exciting. I do think the Slovakian could potentially play spoiler here, but Buchecha is a physical force and an intriguing addition to the UFC heavyweight division.

(Pick: Buchecha)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Abu Dhabi all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night.

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