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.

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.

Reinier de Ridder thought one judge got it 'completely wrong' in his split decision win over Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi.

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.

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.

Robert Whittaker thinks he "ticked all the boxes" to get his hand raised vs. Reinier de Ridder 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

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.

On Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi, de Ridder shares a card with another former ONE fighter when Marcus Buchecha makes his octagon debut after he endured a similarly frustrating run there. While he certainly doesn't wish anybody ill will,