Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) was lost a split decision to Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in Saturday's main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. He almost finished De Ridder when he dropped him in Round 3, but the former ONE dual-champion hung tough to outlast him.

In a 5-round middleweight bout in the main event, Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder meet Saturday at UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

After his win, "The King of Kung Fu" called for a fight with former two-time title challenger Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson, arguably the best karate specialist in UFC history. A few years ago, that would have been a grossly overambitious callout, but it makes sense today.