{"id":20110,"date":"2025-07-24T08:49:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T08:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/20110\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T08:49:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T08:49:33","slug":"ufc-abu-dhabi-odds-best-betting-props-parlays-and-picks-whittaker-vs-de-ridder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/20110\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Abu Dhabi odds: Best betting props, parlays and picks | Whittaker vs. de Ridder"},"content":{"rendered":"

UFC Abu Dhabi<\/a> goes down this weekend (Sat., July 26, 2025) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The main event features a Middleweight mainstay, and former champ, taking on a relative UFC newcomer. Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder<\/a> is bound to make waves in the division. Will Whittaker be able to squash RDR and make a case for another title shot or will the Dutchman score his best win to date and prove he\u2019s a force to be reckoned with, despite his greatest exploits happening miles away from the Octagon?<\/p>\n

UFC Abu Dhabi\u2019s co-main event was supposed to be Movsar Evloev against former Bellator standout, Aaron Pico. However, that fight is likely getting rebooked for UFC 319<\/a>. That means Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGhee<\/a> has been elevated into the main event slot.<\/p>\n

Rounding our the main card on Saturday is Shara Magomedov vs. Marc-Andre Barriault, Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa and Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan Guskov.<\/p>\n

UFC Abu Dhabi\u2019s \u201cPrelims\u201d are headlined by Bryce Mitchell vs. Said Nurmagomedov<\/a> in the Bantamweight division. Also on the \u201cPrelims\u201d are Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci, Davey Grant vs. Da\u2019Mon Blackshear and Martin Buday against the debuting Marcus Buchecha.<\/p>\n

As always, there\u2019s lots to bet on this card and we\u2019ve got odds for all the fights below:<\/p>\n

UFC Abu Dhabi Main Card Money Line Odds<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Robert Whittaker returns to the Etihad for the latest UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Robert Whittaker (-162) vs. Reinier de Ridder (+136)<\/p>\n

On Saturday, Whittaker will fight for the third straight time in the Middle East. Last time out, in Abu Dhabi, he had his teeth smashed in by Khamzat Chimaev for the quick, and rather shocking, loss (see it here<\/a>). Prior to that he wiped out Ikram Aliskerov in Riyadh, after Aliskerov came in on short notice for Chimaev (see it here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

De Ridder blew up Bo Nickal\u2019s spot in March, finishing him with a big knee to the body (see it here<\/a>). That made RDR undefeated (3-0) in UFC after submission wins over Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert. De Ridder is now 20-2 with his only professional losses coming to Anatoly Malykhin (in Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight fights).<\/p>\n

Classic Dutch kickboxing display against Nickal aside, de Ridder is still primarily a grappler. His striking looked great in that match mostly because he was fighting Nickal. I highly doubt that de Ridder will be able to get off combos and land that knee against a striker as good as Whittaker.<\/p>\n

De Ridder\u2019s size and length will help him in that respect (he\u2019s got five inches reach on Whittaker), but I think de Ridder is smart enough to not get in a fire fight with Whittaker. He\u2019s going to be looking for a takedown and maybe the same face crank that ruined Whittaker\u2019s last night in the desert (if you know he has a past injury\/weakness there, why not go for it?).<\/p>\n

If de Ridder\u2019s gameplan is to take down Whittaker, he might have some issues with that. Whittaker has an 80 percent takedown defense and that\u2019s been honed against a who\u2019s who at Middleweight. Admittedly, there haven\u2019t been that many hot shot wrestlers in the top ranks at Middleweight during Whittaker\u2019s time there. Chimaev got him down twice on four attempts (but is there anyone who can stay standing against him?). Dricus Du Plessis was one for one on takedowns, too. If that 80 percent is inflated because of the competition Whittaker has faced, de Ridder might be able to drag him down to the mat more than once.<\/p>\n

Whittaker has sometimes been the one to mix in takedowns, often because a lot of his fights have been against guys who mostly strike. He will likely avoid that at all costs in this fight and let his striking do the talking.<\/p>\n

I think this is a really hard fight to call, as evidenced by the close odds here. I slightly favor de Ridder to get the takedown and have a lot of success on the ground (due to his size). But, I can also see Whittaker lighting him up on the feet and getting a finish.<\/p>\n

The round total for this one is 2.5. With the over at -125 and the under at -105. That\u2019s good odds-making right there. If the total was 1.5 I would hammer the over. If it were 3.5 I would hammer the under. As things stand, that\u2019s just too close to where I think the fight will end (sometime early in the third).<\/p>\n

Since I don\u2019t see something in the over\/under that I want, I\u2019m going to take the opportunity to have plus money on de Ridder. Indeed, de Ridder\u2019s size could be a big factor here as he ducks under Whittaker\u2019s attempts to bomb forward, gets the body lock and pushes him into the fence.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a believer in de Ridder as a top Middleweight. I think the ropey Meerschaert performance can be put down to Octagon jitters and I have a lot of respect for the record he\u2019s put together in ONE (Aung La N Sang would have been a problem in UFC).<\/p>\n

Best bet: Reinier de Ridder moneyline (+136)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Marcus McGhee gets his first co-main event at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Sarah Stier\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Petr Yan (-360) vs. Marcus McGhee (+285)<\/p>\n

Yan out-boxed Deiveson Figueiredo and Song Yadong in his last two fights. Those wins came after a loss to current champ Merab Dvalishvili and former champ Sean O\u2019Malley. <\/p>\n

McGhee, on the other hand, gets his chance to crash the Bantamweight title picture at 35. He\u2019s earned his fight with Yan after going 4-0 in UFC (with three \u201cPerformance of the Night\u201d bonuses). Last time out, he took a decision over Jonathan Martinez.<\/p>\n

The big question in this fight is whether or not McGhee can hang with a bona fide elite of his division. He\u2019s looked good against a quite a few wrungs below that, but he\u2019s never come close to Yan or the fighters Yan has been fighting regularly since he joined UFC. McGhee is also not getting this shot during his athletic prime. His mental maturity might make up for some of that, but he\u2019s not going to have speed and strength that blows away Yan (who is only three years younger).<\/p>\n

McGhee has great stats for the division. The only reason he\u2019s not in the Top 10<\/a> in a bunch of striking categories is because he\u2019s one short of the five UFC appearances needed to qualify for those rankings.<\/p>\n

Right now, though, his 6.06 significant strikes landed per-minute would put him seventh in the division. The only reason he\u2019s so \u201clow\u201d on that list is because Bantamweight has a lot of volume strikers in it. His 2.83 strikes absorbed a minute would have him just outside the top ten. When it comes to sig. striking differential, though, his 3.23 would have him leading the division by a mile. The current leader in that stat is Sean O\u2019Malley with 2.88. McGhee\u2019s 64 percent sig. striking defense would also put him fourth in the division.<\/p>\n

If this were just a striking match-up, I think he has the tools to beat Yan here.<\/p>\n

I think Yan is going to want to mix things up, though. If he just brawls and decides to wager his iron chin against McGhee\u2019s volume and power, then I think he\u2019s going to be having a lot of regrets on Sunday. Yan should be hoping to mix takedowns with his striking as much of possible and try to test McGhee on the ground.<\/p>\n

McGhee has never been taken down in UFC. That stat looks good on paper, but only two of his four opponents have tried to take him down. JP Buys went 0-1 on takedowns and Journey Newsom went 0-6. Newsom has a UFC career takedown accuracy of 16 percent.<\/p>\n

Yan\u2019s takedown accuracy is 49 percent, which is average. But, his wrestling is a lot better than anything McGhee has ever seen.<\/p>\n

Yan has scored takedowns in each of his last four fights (against Figueiredo, Song, Dvalishvilli and O\u2019Malley). He even got a takedown on takedown defense GOAT Jose Aldo.<\/p>\n

Count McGhee completely out at your peril, but Yan (if he\u2019s taking this fight seriously) should be just too well rounded and experienced to lose this one. I think he\u2019s going to have McGhee tied up for too much in this bout to worry about McGhee doing what no man has ever done (finish him).<\/p>\n

Best bet: Petr Yan moneyline (-360)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Shara Bullet meets Power Bar at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Shara Magomedov (-650) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+470)<\/p>\n

Magomedov lost his perfect record last time out after he was too passive and failed to find the range against Michael \u201cVenom\u201d Page. That disappointing loss came after his sensational double spinning backfist win over Armen Petrosyan (see it here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

I thought Barriault might have been responsible for the first loss of life in the Octagon last time he fought. He cracked Bruno Silva with brutal punches and elbows leading to one of the scariest knockouts we\u2019ve seen in recent years.<\/p>\n

That win snapped a three-fight losing streak for Barriault, who was finished by Dustin Stoltzfus and Joe Pyfer.<\/p>\n

At first glance you think, wow this is \u201cFight of the Night\u201d material. But, then you remember how boring a lot of Magomedov\u2019s time in a UFC Octagon has been. He\u2019s had a few duds in there and even his two fights that ended in finishes were a bit of a slog to get through before those moments of brilliance.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a good chance Magomedov tries to spend this entire fight circling around the outside looking to land the perfect strike, while ignoring the opportunity to land 10 perfectly good ones.<\/p>\n

To land those highlight-reel finishes he needs someone who is going to run right at him.<\/p>\n

Cue, Barriault.<\/p>\n

Barriault does not do boring fights. He fights at a mile a minute and is very much a kill or be killed fighter.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s going to blitz Magomedov here and he\u2019s either going to score a crushing finish or get face planted and have no idea how it happened.<\/p>\n

Though I\u2019d love to see \u201cPower Bar\u201d get the win and expectations for Magomedov to get further reduced, I think Barriault will get wrecked here. A big reason for that is Magomedov\u2019s sig. strike accuracy, which is second in the division at 62.3 percent. It\u2019s second only to Anthony Hernandez. However, consider that a lot of Hernandez\u2019s strikes happen on the ground, not almost entirely from range like with Magomedov.<\/p>\n

Vegas thinks the way I do, that this fight will include Barriault catching up with Magomedov and forcing a big exchange early. They have set the round total at 1.5 and I\u2019m comfortable taking the under there. Sure, Magomedov hasn\u2019t finished fights quickly in UFC, but he\u2019s also had opponents who have too much respect for his striking. Barriault won\u2019t show him respect. That might pan out for him here, but most likely it won\u2019t. If I take the under I win either way, though.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Under 1.5 rounds (+135)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Asu Almabayev gets a short notice opponent at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Asu Almabayev (-115) vs. Jose Ochoa (-105)<\/p>\n

Almabayev was gearing up to fight Ramazan Temirov. That would have been a fire match-up pitting this Kazakh grappler against the Uzbek power puncher. Temirov withdrew due to injury, though. Replacing him is Ochoa, so now we have a match of Zulfikar vs. Kalzifer. Zulfikar is a legendary sword. Kalzifer was the cute little fire spirit from Howl\u2019s Moving Castle.<\/p>\n

Zulfikar\/Almabayev is coming off a weird fight with Manel Kape. He was finished in the third round, but the winning strikes might have been to the back of the head after some eye pokes (see it here<\/a>). Prior to that he took decisions over Matheus Nicolau, Jose Johnson and CJ Vergara.<\/p>\n

Ochoa lit up Cody Durden in Durden\u2019s backyard at UFC Atlanta in June (see it here<\/a>). Before that he lost a fun brawl with Lone\u2019er Kavanagh.<\/p>\n

Ochoa looked fantastic on enemy soil and he\u2019s been given the opportunity to repeat that here in the Middle East. Though, the Emirati fans might be less vocal in their support of the Kazakh here than the Georgians were of their son of the south. <\/p>\n

Even so, Ochoa really showed me something and I think that\u2019s going to cause Almabayev some problems. Almabayev is a takedown artist, but he took too much damage from Kape to make those takedowns count. I think Ochoa is going to be as much of a wood chipper as Kape was in that fight and we might see Almabayev fade and maybe even be finished.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Jose Ochoa moneyline (-105)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Bogdan Guskov will look for another finish at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News\/SCNG<\/p>\n

Nikita Krylov (-192) vs. Bogdan Guskov (+160)<\/p>\n

Krylov returned for a rare UFC fight in April and was knocked out cold by Dominick Reyes (see it here<\/a>). That was his first fight since a submission win over Ryan Spann in March, 2023. <\/p>\n

Guskov, meanwhile, has a three-fight win streak right now with wins over Billy Elekana (a short notice replacement for Johnny Walker), Ryan Spann and Zac Pauga. He lost in his debut UFC fight, getting submitted by Volkan Oezdemir.<\/p>\n

These two are both 32, but Krylov\u2019s 32 feels a lot different from Guskov\u2019s. Krylov looked old and slow against Reyes. Guskov fights with a lot of energy and I think he\u2019s going to blow away \u2018Al Capone\u2019 in this one.<\/p>\n

Krylov is the favorite and that really surprises me. I respect his experience and he has wicked submissions. But for how bad he looked last time out, and how inactive he\u2019s been lately, I don\u2019t see why he should be considered a big threat to Guskov. <\/p>\n

The round total has been set at 1.5. So Vegas thinks the favorite Kylov is also going to get the quick finish here. If it ends quick, I think it will be because Guskov binks Krylov on the chin. <\/p>\n

The under is -160 for this fight, which is tempting. But, not as tempting as the plus money on Guskov.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Bogdan Guskov moneyline (+160)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Said Nurmagomedov is looking to get back in the win column at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Bryce Mitchell (-125) vs. Said Nurmagomedov (+105)<\/p>\n

Mitchell was obliterated by his own personal demon Jean Silva in his last fight, which was only in April (see it here<\/a>). That fight followed his win over Kron Gracie. Prior to that he was shut off by Josh Emmett (see it here<\/a>). Around those fights Mitchell has made a habit of saying increasingly moronic and inflammatory statements. He\u2019s not said anything that would get him cut, though (things like \u201cfighters deserve more money\u201d or \u201cDana White hitting his wife was wrong\u201d). <\/p>\n

Nurmagomedov got the Lok Dog experience last time out, being totally befuddled and stifled by the game of Vinicius Oliveira. Oliveira grounded Nurmagomedov a bunch in the fight and earned a pretty comfortable decision. Prior to that Nurmagomedov scored a standing guillotine on Muin Gafarov (see it here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

This is a close fight which hinges on whether Mitchell can get this to the ground. If he does, then his grappling likely gets him the win. If he can\u2019t then Nurmagomedov can piece together a decision by pot shotting from range.<\/p>\n

Mitchell is coming down from Featherweight in this fight. His size here will cause Nurmagomedov problems. Nurmagomedov is used to being the taller and longer Bantamweight, but he\u2019ll have the same reach as Mitchell. Because of that I think it will be hard for him to have a ton of success with his jab (he might do something nutty with a question mark kick, though).<\/p>\n

Because of that, I think Mitchell is the best bet to win here. He gets 3.27 takedowns per 15. There\u2019s a chance he runs into a guillotine (Nurmagomedov has a good one) and I hope he does. For the purpose of this column, though, I\u2019ll be picking him. I\u2019d never put money down on him, though.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Bryce Mitchell moneyline (-125)<\/p>\n

UFC Abu Dhabi \u2018Prelims\u2019 Under Card Odds<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Will Carlos Leal bring the Bronsan look back at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Carlos Leal (-470) vs. Muslim Salikhov (+360)<\/p>\n

Leal got some vindication in his last fight, totally dismantling Alex Morono on route to a first round stoppage (see it here<\/a>). He looked like a world beater in that fight, albeit against Morono. This was his first fight since he suffered one of the worst robberies I\u2019ve seen in MMA, after \u2018losing\u2019 a decision to Rinat Fakhretdinov at UFC 308… here in Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Why would Leal, who came in on short notice off of PFL for that Fakhretdinov fight, want to compete here again? Does he want to prove something to the officials here?<\/p>\n

Either way, he\u2019s a massive favorite against Salikhov. Salikhov is 41 and coming off a lovely wheel kick finish over Song Kenan (see it here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If Leal fights the way he fought against Salikhov, there aren\u2019t many fighters outside the top fifteen in Welterweight I wouldn\u2019t pick him against. I think he gets the job done quick against Salikhov, who absorbs a lot of shots and is giving up four inches of reach.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Under 1.5 rounds (-154)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Da\u2019Mon Blackshear takes his finish streak into UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Josh Hedges\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Davey Grant (+270) vs. Da\u2019Mon Blackshear (-340)<\/p>\n

Grant didn\u2019t look his age in his unanimous decision win over Ramon Taveras. Prior to that he lost a split decision to Daniel Marcos.<\/p>\n

Blackshear is on a three-fight win streak right now with finishes over Cody Stamann and Cody Gibson and a decision over Alatengheili. <\/p>\n

Blackshear has been an unrepentant size bully in this weight class and he\u2019ll again have a physical advantage over Grant. Though, it won\u2019t be as striking as in some of his past match-ups. He\u2019s only two inches taller and his reach advantage will be three inches. <\/p>\n

The size advantage isn\u2019t the only thing working for Blackshear in this match-up, though. His highly creative grappling and submissions are beyond what Grant is capable of dealing with. <\/p>\n

Grant has been performing above expectations in the last leg of his career, but I think Blackshear gets him down and finishes him with something interesting, perhaps an anaconda choke, <\/p>\n

Best bet: Under 2.5 rounds (+114)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Amanda Ribas is coming off a loss to Mackenzie Dern at the APEX.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Amanda Ribas (-185) vs. Tabatha Ricci (+154)<\/p>\n

Ribas was beat up and armbarred by a resurgent Mackenzie Dern in her last fight (see it here<\/a>), someone she beat during her early years with the promotion. Prior to that she lost a unanimous decision to Rose Namajunas. <\/p>\n

Ricci was well beaten by Yan Xiaonan in her last fight. That broke her two fight winning streak, which included very close decisions to Angela Hill and Tecia Pennington.<\/p>\n

At 31, it seems like Ribas has topped out as a top ten Strawweight. She\u2019s struggled every time she\u2019s had the chance to crash the top five or make an impression up at Flyweight.<\/p>\n

She might still be good enough to beat Ricci, though.<\/p>\n

Ricci looked very bad in her loss to Yan, where she landed just 15 sig. strikes in three rounds. Yan landed 78 in return.<\/p>\n

Ribas is not as busy as Yan, but she should be able to out strike Ricci in this fight. And if this goes to the ground, I like Ribas\u2019 grappling over Ricci\u2019s. Ribas\u2019 striking and grappling will also be aided by her five inch reach advantage.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Amanda Ribas moneyline (-185)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Ibo Aslan was on the wrong side of a big upset in his last fight.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Ibo Aslan (-270) vs. Billy Elekana (+220)<\/p>\n

Aslan had an impressive start to UFC, quickly finishing Anton Turkalj (see it here<\/a>) and then Raffael Cerqueira (see it here<\/a>). However, after the difficulty level was increased he was found wanting. Ion Cutelaba big brother\u2019ed him in February, hurting him on the feet and easily submitting him by an arm triangle (see it here<\/a>). Aslan is now hoping to prove he\u2019s more than a guy who looks good getting off the bus.<\/p>\n

Elekana came in on very short notice to fight Bogdan Guskov in January. He showed some resolve on the feet, but was eventually submitted in the second round (see it here<\/a>). Prior to that he was on a three fight winning streak, which included two wins in PFL.<\/p>\n

I have questions about both of those guys. My question on Aslan is whether he\u2019s actually good or just another low level UFC Light Heavyweight. My question on Elekana is whether he\u2019s good enough to be in UFC altogether.<\/p>\n

Aslan fights like a wild man and he\u2019s going to lose a bunch in UFC, but I think his physicality will be enough to get through Elekana at least.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Ibo Aslan moneyline (-270)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Muhammad Yahya will fight on home soil at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Mohammad Yahya (+270) vs. Steven Nguyen (-350)<\/p>\n

Yahya looked like one of the worst fighters on the roster in his loss to Kaue Fernandes last time out. He was put away with strikes inside the first round (see it here<\/a>), making him 0-2 in UFC. He\u2019s a local fighter, which is about the only reason he manages to get on these UFC in UAE cards.<\/p>\n

Nguyen has more Contender Series fights than proper UFC fights. He\u2019s 2-1 in the feeder league and 0-2 under the bright(er) lights. Last time out, he dropped a decision to Jarno Evans, though earned a Fight of the Night bonus.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Yahya is here on merit, so I\u2019ll be fading him for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Steven Nguyen moneyline (-350)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Martin Buday draws a grappling legend at UFC Abu Dhabi.<\/p>\n

Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

Martin Buday (+250) vs. Marcus Buchecha (-310)<\/p>\n

Buday has quietly gone 6-1 in UFC since graduating from Contender Series and, before that, OKTAGON. It\u2019s been quiet mainly because Buday has gotten all decisions, other than a kimura finish over Josh Parisian. Buday\u2019s lone loss is a TKO loss to Shamil Gaziev. Gaziev has since proven he\u2019s one of the better Heavyweights in the division.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think Buday is going to get a submission on Buchecha. Strange things have happened in the Octagon when big names from other sports come over, like Anthony Hernandez submitting Rodolfo Vieira (see it here<\/a>) and Khalil Rountree Jr. knocking out Gokhan Saki (see it here<\/a>). But, Buday submitting the multiple time BJJ World and No-Gi World Champ would trump all that.<\/p>\n

Buchecha, a fourth-degree BJJ black belt, started dipping his toes into MMA back in 2021. Since then, with ONE Championship, he\u2019s gone 5-1 with four submissions and a TKO. His sole loss came to Senegalese wrestling legend Reug Reug, by decision. Reug Reug has since become the champ over in ONE.<\/p>\n

This fight could be very weird. I\u2019m expecting Buchecha to get a submission win, but things haven\u2019t exactly come super easy for him in MMA thus far. Buday isn\u2019t a tomato can, either.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll take the over, expecting Buchecha to have some period of adjustment before getting his win or for Buday to be a tougher opponent than expected.<\/p>\n

Best bet: Over 1.5 rounds (-130)<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/p>\n

Does Robert Whittaker\u2019s time as a Middleweight title contender end at UFC Abu Dhabi?<\/p>\n

Photo by Chris Unger\/Zuffa LLC<\/p>\n

UFC Abu Dhabi Long Shots!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a couple of long shots for Saturday\u2019s action.<\/p>\n

Three-fight parlay: Reinier de Ridder, Marc-Andre Barriault and Bogdan Guskov (+3397)<\/p>\n

This is my oops all-underdogs parlay. I think de Ridder\u2019s size and grappling could help him get his biggest UFC win to date. I think Vegas is way off in having Krylov as the favorite over Guskov. And I\u2019m taking a punt on Barriault being able to crash through range and score a scary knockout over Magomedov.<\/p>\n

Three-fight parlay: Salikhov vs. Leal Under 1.5, Mitchell vs. Nurmagomedov Under 2.5, Magomedov vs. Barriault Under 1.5 (+1037)<\/p>\n

This is my oops all-unders parlay. We\u2019ve been blessed with a decent amount of finishes lately and I think UFC Abu Dhabi might feature a lot of them. Leal looked incredible last time out and I think he stops Salikhov in the first round. Mitchell likely submits Nurmagomedov, though there\u2019s a chance he gets caught in a front choke himself. And Barriault doesn\u2019t even know they have judges in MMA fights.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n


\n LIVE! Stream UFC Abu Dhabi On ESPN+
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

MIDDLEWEIGHT MAYHEM!<\/a> Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Etihad Arena on \u201cFight Island\u201d this Sat. night (July 26, 2025) with UFC Abu Dhabi<\/a>. That\u2019s where former middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, collides with red-hot submission specialist, Reinier de Ridder, in a fast-paced main event mashup scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In UFC Abu Dhabi\u2019s co-main event, former 135-pound titleholder, Petr Yan, locks horns with once-beaten bantamweight bruiser, Marcus McGhee, with a spot in the division title chase up for grabs.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss a single second of face-punching action!<\/a><\/p>\n

Remember that MMAmania.com<\/a> will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Abu Dhabi fight card<\/a> right here<\/a>, starting with the ESPN\/ABC<\/a> \u201cPrelims<\/a>\u201d matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 3 p.m. ET (also on ESPN\/ABC<\/a>).<\/p>\n

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Abu Dhabi: \u201cWhittaker vs. de Ridder\u201d news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UFC Abu Dhabi goes down this weekend (Sat., July 26, 2025) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[444],"tags":[4639,1203,2606,6359,49,48,2185,698,4640,641,700,701,638,2184,17049,17051,17052,17050,17054,82,640,702,17056,17057,17055,8729,689,17053],"class_list":["post-20110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-abu","tag-and","tag-best","tag-betting","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-com","tag-de","tag-dhabi","tag-fighting","tag-front-page","tag-latest-news","tag-mma","tag-mmamania","tag-odds","tag-parlays","tag-picks","tag-props","tag-ridder","tag-sports","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-news","tag-ufc-odds","tag-ufc-on-abc","tag-ufc-predictions","tag-ufc-previews","tag-vs","tag-whittaker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}