It was a grueling and competitive fight, but de Ridder felt comfortable in winning three out of the five rounds they competed in. He was confident all three judges would agree with him, however, only two judges did,

Reinier de Ridder has officially entered the world of the middleweight elite after a grueling battle against Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.

The latest UFC Fight Night event was held in Abu Dhabi and was headlined by a middleweight clash between Robert Whittaker and Reinier De Ridder.

The decision was a split set of 48-47 scorecards. The event took place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The bout was exciting and competitive throughout. De Ridder's jab and step-knee were successful throughout the bout.

Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest win of his Octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly securing a hard-fought split decision over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.

Reinier de Ridder picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday when he took a hard-fought split decision over former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC Fight Night from Abu Dhabi.

In the main event on July 26, Reinier de Ridder defeated Robert Whittaker to continue his undefeated run since signing to the UFC last year. It may not have been the statement performance that de Ridder was looking for, with some fans believing that Whittaker deserved the win, but it was still a huge result for the Dutchman.

Check out how much money did Reinier De Ridder earn outclassing former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.

SportsLine's Daniel Vithlani reveals his picks for the UFC Fight Night fight card from Etihad Arena at Yas Island in Yas West United Arab Emirates on Saturday

De Ridder earned a crack at Whittaker after he knocked out highly-touted wrestler Bo Nickal with a knee to the body at UFC Des Moines in May. This was Nickal’s first UFC loss, with many fans claiming he had been ‘fraud checked’.