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

Check out predictions for every fight on this Saturday's UFC card.
Drew Beaupre|
Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

The UFC stays on the road this weekend with a UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 12 fights on the card.

The event is headlined by a matchup between former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker and former ONE Championship star Reinier de Ridder, who has gone 3-0 with all three wins coming via stoppage since joining the UFC last year.

The night’s co-main event was supposed to see Movsar Evloev welcome Aaron Pico to the UFC before Evloev withdrew from the card, and now the bantamweight bout between former titleholder Petr Yan and the surging Marcus McGhee will serve as the penultimate fight for UFC Abu Dhabi.

UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Predictions

Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder

Reinier de Ridder (red gloves) fights Bo Nickal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena.
Reinier de Ridder (red gloves) fights Bo Nickal (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

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)

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Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee

Petr Yan (red gloves) before his fight against Sean O'Malley (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena.
Petr Yan (red gloves) before his fight against Sean O'Malley (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. | Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

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

Shara Magomedov returns at UFC Abu Dhabi following his first loss.
Shara Magomedov returns at UFC Abu Dhabi following his first loss. | (Craig Kidwell/MMA Junkie

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

Asu Almabayev (blue gloves) fights CJ Vergara (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center.
Asu Almabayev (blue gloves) fights CJ Vergara (red gloves) during UFC 299 at Kayesa Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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

Bogdan Guskov (red gloves) fights Billy Elekana (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome.
Bogdan Guskov (red gloves) fights Billy Elekana (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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

Bryce Mitchell (red gloves) fights Kron Gracie (blues gloves) at T-Mobile Arena.
Bryce Mitchell (red gloves) fights Kron Gracie (blues gloves) at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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)

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Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal

Carlos Leal fights Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308.
Carlos Leal fights Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308. | (Craig Kidwell/MMA Junkie)

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

Davey Grant (red gloves) fights Daniel Marcos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena.
Davey Grant (red gloves) fights Daniel Marcos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

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

Amanda Ribas lands a punch on Maycee Barber the UFC Fight Night event VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.
Amanda Ribas lands a punch on Maycee Barber the UFC Fight Night event VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

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

Ibo Aslan (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Anton Turkalj (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall.
Ibo Aslan (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Anton Turkalj (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

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

Steve Nguyen during his UFC debut against Jarno Errens.
Steve Nguyen during his UFC debut against Jarno Errens. | (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

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)

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Martin Buday vs. Marcus Buchecha

Marcus Buchecha will make his UFC debut in the opening fight for UFC Abu Dhabi.
Marcus Buchecha will make his UFC debut in the opening fight for UFC Abu Dhabi. | (ONE Championship)

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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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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