Two of the top middleweights in the world headlined the recent UFC Abu Dhabi event that aired live on ABC in Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker.

Herzog was the third man on the octagon Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi when Nguyen (11-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) battered Yahya (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) all over the cage, scoring a new single-fight high six knockdowns landed before it was mercifully called off by the doctor at the conclusion of the second round.

‘Funk Master’ has been vocal in the past about his thoughts on how he lost the 135-pound title. Sterling was stopped by Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 292, but he insisted that referee Marc Goddard had stopped the fight far too early.

After UFC Abu Dhabi last night (July 26, 2025) on “Fight Island,” it’s clear Whittaker’s time near the top has come to an end.

On this week's episode of "Spinning Back Clique," our panel reacts to Reinier De Ridder's big win, some of the recent big fight bookings and more.

Marcus Buchecha, a 13-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion and one of the greatest submission artists in the discipline’s history, dropped his UFC debut to Martin Buday to kick off the UFC Abu Dhabi event on Saturday. Buchecha was considered one of the biggest UFC signings of the year after a long-successful tenure in ONE Championship.