Latest news with #Whittaker
Arab News
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Arab News
UFC Fight Night returns to Abu Dhabi in July with stacked card
ABU DHABI: UFC CEO Dana White has revealed a strong card for UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder in Abu Dhabi on July 26 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The main event will be headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and highly-rated Dutch standout Reinier de Ridder whose seamless transition from the ONE Championship has been hugely impressive. White took to social media to announce what promises to be one of the most thrilling Fight Night cards of the year, which will see No.12-ranked 185-pounder De Ridder, undefeated in his three UFC bouts to date, likely earn a middleweight title eliminator should he defeat Whittaker. 'De Ridder is a former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion and has finished every one he has fought in the UFC,' White said. 'He's coming off a win over the top prospect in the sport, Bo Nickal. If De Ridder can beat Whittaker, it's very likely he'll be fighting for the No. 1 contender bout next. I am pumped for this fight because these guys are both killers — and they always come out and deliver.' The main card boasts two five-round bouts and a stacked lineup of electrifying talent, former champions, and elite contenders — all coming together for one of the year's most anticipated international showcases, marking the 21st UFC event in Abu Dhabi since 2010. In the co-main event in Abu Dhabi, unbeaten featherweight Movsar Evloev takes on UFC newcomer Aaron Pico. Evloev, who will be looking to extend his eight-fight winning streak since his UFC debut in 2019, most recently outpointed Aljamain Sterling in a hard-fought unanimous decision at UFC 310 in December 2024. Pico, long considered MMA's top free agent, recently joined the UFC roster. A decorated collegiate wrestler and former Bellator standout, the 28-year-old currently holds a 13-4 professional record and arrives with major expectations. White added: 'Aaron Pico is a ridiculously violent striker and a very high-level grappler. He's had hype behind him since he was a teenager because of his skill set and fighting style — people compare him to guys like Justin Gaethje or Dustin Poirier.' Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan makes his return in a featured bout against rising contender Marcus McGhee. Yan will be looking to build on the momentum from a strong 2024, where he secured consecutive wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo. UFC Abu Dhabi Fight Card: Robert Whittaker vs. Renier de Ridder - Middleweight Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico - Featherweight Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee - Bantamweight Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov - Bantamweight Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault - Middleweight Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light Heavyweight
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Abu Dhabi: Robert Whittaker Set to Face Fastest-Rising Middleweight Star in Legacy Fight
UFC Abu Dhabi: Robert Whittaker Set to Face Fastest-Rising Middleweight Star in Legacy Fight originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The UFC is returning to Abu Dhabi this summer, and Dana White has confirmed a massive lineup for the July 26 Fight Night event at the Etihad Arena. Headlining the card is former champion Robert Whittaker, who will face Reinier de Ridder in a pivotal middleweight showdown. Whittaker's name carries weight in the sport, but this might be the kind of fight that redefines it. It's a test, a statement, and maybe—just maybe—a turning point. Advertisement Whittaker, 34, the proud Australian and former UFC middleweight champion, hasn't been seen in the Octagon since UFC 308, where a face crank from Khamzat Chimaev brought a sudden, painful end to his night. Robert WhittakerGetty Images The first-round submission didn't just stop the fight—it popped his jaw and wrecked his lower teeth. There were reports that you could hear a pop from cageside. Since then, Whittaker's been on the mend, and now he's stepping right back into the fire. Standing in his way is Reinier de Ridder, also 34—a submission ace from the Netherlands and former two-division champ in ONE Championship. De Ridder has quietly built a resume of chaos, finishing his last three opponents, including a dominant submission win over then-undefeated Bo Nickal. His grappling pedigree is no joke, and he has a way of dragging opponents into deep water fast. Reinier de Ridder© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images For Whittaker, it's more than just another fight. This is the kind of moment careers pivot on. He's danced with the best—Adesanya, Romero, Cannonier, Vettori, and most recently, Chimaev. He knows the pressure of the big stage. But he also knows that in a division this stacked, there's no room to fall behind. Advertisement Ranked #5, he could be one big win away from title talk—or one stumble away from being passed by. If he's able to put on a dominant performance in Abu Dhabi, talk of rematches with Chimaev or current champion Dricus du Plessis could quickly come into focus. Both fights carry storylines that fans are eager to revisit—and Whittaker knows he has unfinished business with both. And he won't be alone under the spotlight. The rest of the card is loaded with names and matchups that scream action: UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ABU DHABI – July 26 | Etihad Arena Bout order subject to change Middleweight Bout 🇦🇺 #5 Robert Whittaker vs. #12 Reinier de Ridder 🇳🇱 5-Round Co-Main Event – Featherweight Bout 🇷🇺 Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico 🇺🇸 Bantamweight Bout 🇷🇺 #3 Petr Yan vs. #13 Marcus McGhee 🇺🇸 Featherweight Bout 🇺🇸 Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov 🇷🇺 Middleweight Bout 🇷🇺 Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-André Barriault 🇨🇦 Light Heavyweight Bout 🇷🇺 Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov 🇺🇿 With top-ranked contenders, proven veterans, and breakout prospects all sharing the stage, UFC Abu Dhabi feels like more than a Fight Night—it feels like a reckoning. For Whittaker, the stakes couldn't be higher. Advertisement Related: Ben Askren: New Update Reveals Emotional Details on UFC Veteran's Ongoing Health Battle Related: Team Makhachev Reveals UFC's Power Play to Elevate Ilia Topuria This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Announces First Six Fights For July Abu Dhabi Fight Card
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 22: Robert Whittaker of New Zealand prepares to face Ikram Aliskerov of ... More Russia in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Kingdom Arena on June 22, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) The UFC is back in Abu Dhabi on July 26 for a UFC Fight Night card at Etihad Arena. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced the first six matchups for that fight card, including the main event, which pits former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker against the rising Reinier de Ridder. In the evening's co-main event, Aaron Pico makes his UFC debut opposite Movsar Evloev in a five-round featherweight matchup. Robert Whittaker vs. Renier de Ridder - Middleweight Movsar Evloev vs. Aaron Pico - Featherweight Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee - Bantamweight Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov - Bantamweight Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault - Middleweight Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov - Light Heavyweight Saturday, July 26, 2025 Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi Main Card: 3:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 12:00 p.m. ET Inglewood, CA - January 18: Reinier de Ridder (blue) celebrates his victory over Kevin Holland (red) ... More during their bout at UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Saturday, January 18, 2024. de Ridder won the fight by first round submission. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Whittaker (26-8) is the No. 5 fighter in the official UFC middleweight rankings. Whittaker is 15-4 with the UFC since June 2014. His only losses have come to Israel Adesanya, Dricus du Plessis, and Khamzat Chimaev. Adesanya is a former UFC middleweight champ. Du Plessis is the current UFC 185-pound champion, and Chimaev is scheduled to face Du Plessis in a title fight at UFC 319 in August. In short, the 34-year-old is the gate keeper to the elite of the division. Whittaker is coming off a nasty submission loss to Chimaev at UFC 308 in October 2024. De Ridder (20-2) has been climbing the UFC middleweight ladder since he joined the promotion after holding the ONE middleweight and light heavyweight titles. The 34-year-old is No. 12 in the UFC 185-pound division. He is 3-0 with the promotion with stoppage wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kevin Holland and Bo Nickal. His win over Nickal was his most recent victory, coming in May of this year. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Movsar Evloev of Russia looks on prior to a featherweight fight ... More during UFC 310 at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) Evloev (19-0) made his UFC debut in April 2019 in a featherweight contest against Choi Seung-woo. At the time he stepped into the UFC Octagon for the first time, Evloev was 10-0 and coming off a defense of the M-1 Global bantamweight crown. Evloev, defeated Choi via unanimous decision. Over the next five years, Evloev would climb the featherweight rankings, facing progressively tougher opponents under the UFC banner. He is 9-0 under the UFC banner. In his most recent outing, the 31-year-old defeated former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by decision at UFC 310 in a 145-pound scrap. Evloev is the No. 4 ranked UFC featherweight. Pico (13-4) joined the UFC as a free agent earlier this year. Pico was with Bellator for his entire MMA career before departing as a free agent. The 28-year-old had an up-and-down run with the promotion, but he enters UFC Abu Dhabi on a three-fight winning streak. His record in his past 10 fights is 9-1. His only loss during that span, which dates back to January 2020, is a October 2022 TKO loss to Jeremy Kennedy in a fighter were the doctor stopped the bout because Pico dislocated his shoulder. We will have more on the UFC Abu Dhabi fight card as fight night nears.
Hamilton Spectator
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Yukon Public Libraries introduces summer reading passport
June 13 is the last day of school for most students across the territory. As kids spill out the doors of schools and into the sunshine, the Yukon Public Libraries is introducing an initiative to make sure they don't leave their books behind. For the first time, Yukon Public Libraries is launching the Summer Reading Passport Program across all 15 libraries in the territory: the English-language passports are available at the Whitehorse library, and will be arriving at community libraries in the coming days. There will also be French language passports available. The passport looks akin to the Canadian passport, dimension-wise, said Drew Whittaker, the public programs librarian with Yukon Libraries. Inside, artwork done by local artist Dan Bushnell adorns the stamp pages, inspired by Yukon nature and wildlife, Whittaker said. Interested children will be given passports and be encouraged to come up with a summer reading goal in consultation with their families, he said. 'Maybe it's about numbers of books, but it doesn't have to go numbers of books,' Whittaker said. 'Maybe it's about the type of books that kids want to read, and it's also there's a chance for kids to kind of reflect on reading something new…' The librarian will sign off on a child's reading goal, and stamp the reader's passport as they move towards their goal, he said. 'They take their passport with them. They check out books. They read, read, read all summer long, books from the library, books from home, books from those small community library boxes. They read comic books. They just read as much as they can. They keep track of it, loosely. Keep track, and then they get their passport stamped at any Yukon Public Library location,' he said. Aside the gift of reading, children will also receive a medal at summer's end to reward them for their reading, Whittaker said. All 15 libraries will hold a community event to honour those that have achieved their reading goals, he said. Reading is a radical and revolutionary thing, Whittaker said. It preserves and shares information with others across space and time, he added. 'The value of reading to children is about interacting with their world, is about deeper, enriching experiences with their world. It's about being able to share, communicate their ideas. It's about opening their lives into human creative processes, of which, writing, discussing, debating, is part of our intellectual human existence,' he said. Reading and writing are also important for a child's future, be it education or employment, he said. A good foundation in literacy is connected to better life outcomes, he said. This is the first year the program is running, although previous years have seen similar programs imported from outside the Yukon, said Whittaker. Whittaker said creating a made-in-Yukon version was discussed for years. 'We like the made-in-Yukon approach. We are a different place. I think we're very keenly aware of how, of the differences up here, and often think like, oh yeah, we can do it. We can do our own and it'll be better,' he said. 'Libraries are institutions that are constantly changing, with changing technology and changing community needs. So you know, we're always keen to, like, look at our programs and see if they need a tweak or a change or an overhaul.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Scotsman
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Elite Hibs prospect's title triumph perfect end to year of 'obstacles and adversity'
Youngest ever first-teamer bounced from loan spell to youth team in challenging campaign Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... One of Hibernian's most exciting prospects has been backed to recover from a season of setbacks – after producing the ideal response to falling out of the first-team reckoning. And Rory Whittaker's attitude to being dropped back into age-grade football has been hailed as an example to all young talents. The youngest debutant in club history, Whittaker was just 16 years and 44 days old when then-manager Nick Montgomery threw him into a home win over St Johnstone in September of 2023. He featured regularly as a substitute during Montgomery's eight months at the helm – and was rewarded with a three-year contract as Hibs looked to lock down a player seen as a future regular. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With Hibs overloaded in the right back position, however, David Gray sent Whittaker out on loan to Spartans – where the youngster had started his career as a schoolboy - at the beginning of last season in the hope of furthering his development. Although regularly used as a substitute, the teenager made just two starts for the SPFL League Two side. When he returned to Hibs in January, the club decided against another loan move – and dropped Whittaker back into the under-18s squad, where he played his part in helping Darren McGregor's team pull off a stunning Club Academy Scotland Elite League title triumph . His performances for the youth team confirmed the coaching staff's high opinion of a character backed to benefit from going through such adversity. Scottish Cup hero McGregor impressed with defender Former first-team stalwart McGregor, who said Whittaker could easily have consider himself 'above' the daily grind of under-18 football, was massively impressed, the Scottish Cup winner saying: 'I mean, that's learning for you, that's football, sometimes it happens that you have to take a step back. And I think Rory was excellent in the run-in and the big important games, he was really one of the guys that sort of took the bull by the horns. He's got that, he's a confident lad, nothing phases him. 'But he had that wee bit of adversity, obviously getting into the first team, dropping back out, going to Spartans. Then it not quite working out at Spartans, coming back to us - and then just knuckling down and working hard. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He could have quite easily said: 'I've been in the first team, I've been at Spartans, I'm above the 18s …' But he never did. He came back, worked hard and showed what a good player he is. 'All these little obstacles and adversity, for me, stand them in good stead when they get older because it's not always sunshine and rainbows. There's lots of peaks and there's lots of troughs as well. 'And I always say that to the lads, try to stay as close to centre as you can because you will get disappointments in football. People will have opinions about you. But if you believe in yourself and you keep working hard and show a can-do attitude, you've got half a chance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I say to the older boys in our group, boys like Rory Whittaker, Dead Cleland and Joe McGrath, really all the 2007 group, that the younger lads look up to them. The '08s and '09s look up to you, so set the standard – and that inspires them to reach that standard, maybe even better.'
