The UFC heads to Abu Dhabi this weekend for the first time since last October. In the headliner, two big-time middleweights are set to clash.UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder is a solid card on paper that also features a number of other ranked fighters, a rarity for Fight Night events these days.With that in mind, this one should be well worth checking out.Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de Ridder.#1. UFC middleweight bout: Robert Whittaker vs. Reinier de RidderThis weekend's headliner will pit one of the middleweight division's fastest-rising talents against a former champion in what will be a big step up for the former.It's fair to say that Reinier de Ridder has done far better than many fans expected him to since he switched to the UFC from ONE Championship last year.Sure, he came into the promotion with a strong record of 16-2, but he'd also lost his last two bouts in ONE and had never really been tested at the elite level.A sloppy debut win over Gerald Meerschaert did nothing to quieten the doubters, but since then, 'The Dutch Knight' has looked fantastic.Not only did he blow Kevin Holland away, submitting him easily in a round, but he also became the first fighter to defeat vaunted prospect Bo Nickal, stopping him with a series of knees and punches in two rounds.Still, though, Robert Whittaker is a huge and scary step up for any fighter at 185 pounds.'The Reaper' might not be at his very best anymore, as we saw when he was defeated by Dricus du Plessis in 2023. At that point, 'Stillknocks' was the only man to ever beat Whittaker at 185 pounds outside of Israel Adesanya.However, the Aussie bounced back by starching both Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov, looking excellent in both fights.Sure, Whittaker's last trip to the octagon saw him have his jaw damaged by Khamzat Chimaev, but the truth is that 'Borz' is a force of nature. Nobody's been able to solve the riddle there yet, and so there's no shame in losing to him.When it comes to this fight, then, de Ridder is likely outgunned by 'The Reaper' on the feet, despite his knockout of Nickal. After all, Whittaker is a lethal striker with brutal power, and he's far smoother on the feet than Nickal.However, the ease with which Chimaev took Whittaker down and submitted him should give 'The Dutch Knight' at least some hope. After all, de Ridder is a remarkably smooth grappler, as we saw when he eased to that win over Holland.The issue for de Ridder, though, is going to be in taking Whittaker down. 'The Reaper' has fantastic takedown defense, with a phenomenal percentage of 81%. Before Chimaev, the only fighter to really manage to take him down was Yoel Romero, and 'The Dutch Knight' isn't close to their level in wrestling.Therefore, unless de Ridder can manage to drag Whittaker down and gain a dominant position instantly - something that only Chimaev has ever been able to do - it's very likely that he's going to find himself outgunned standing.Assuming Whittaker isn't shot, then - and there's no reason to believe that's the case - this should be a violent win for him in the same vein as his finish of Aliskerov last year.The Pick: Whittaker via first-round KO#2. UFC bantamweight bout: Petr Yan vs. Marcus McGheeTo call this curious matchmaking from the UFC would be an understatement. Sure, Petr Yan perhaps isn't ready for another crack at bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili just yet, but he is coming off two big wins over Song Yadong and Deiveson Figueiredo.Most fans, therefore, were expecting 'No Mercy' to be matched with someone like Umar Nurmagomedov or Sean O'Malley next.Instead, the Russian will face off with the largely unheralded Marcus McGhee here in what will be a huge step up for the latter.To be fair, McGhee is ranked at No.13 in the bantamweight division, and he's also got a strong record of 4-0 in the octagon, with three wins coming via stoppage.However, 'The Maniac' has a pretty big problem against Yan and that's the fact that he just doesn't mesh well stylistically with the Russian.Yan is one of, if not the cleanest, strikers in the 135-pound division right now. He's sliced up the likes of Cory Sandhagen, Jose Aldo, Figueiredo and Yadong on the feet, chaining together combinations with - as the nickname says - no mercy.More to the point, it's arguable that - contentious split decision loss to O'Malley aside - nobody's ever really outduelled him on the feet in his career.McGhee will definitely be more than willing to throw down with Yan. He's the kind of fighter who won't back down from any opponent, and he definitely carries power, giving him a puncher's chance.Even then, though, the Russian has only been knocked down once in his UFC career. That came against John Dodson all the way back in 2019. The chances of McGhee suddenly cracking his chin seem very slim.Basically, no offense to 'The Maniac', but this fight feels like a placeholder one for Yan while he waits for a bigger opponent. In fact, the chances are that 'No Mercy' will pick up his first finish since he stopped Jose Aldo in 2020.The Pick: Yan via second-round KO#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main CardIn a bantamweight fight, Bryce Mitchell takes on Said Nurmagomedov. This is a pretty curious fight as Nurmagomedov - unlike his more famous namesakes Khabib and Umar - has always flown under the radar, largely because of a handful of bad losses.However, those losses for the most part came to powerful strikers. On the ground, though, he's been very effective, submitting foes like Cody Stamann and Saidyokub Kahkhramonov.This might make him effective against Mitchell, who has never really been a natural striker and is much more of a grappler by trade.'Thug Nasty' is definitely dangerous on the mat, and he'll also be moving to 135 pounds for the first time, a risk, but perhaps a fair one to take given he was destroyed in his last bout by Jean Silva.In this bout, then, it seems highly likely that the two men will hit the mat, and in that case, the advantage will probably go to Nurmagomedov. He's closer to his prime, is probably a better submission artist, and may be the superior wrestler, too. The pick, therefore, is Nurmagomedov via decision.In what's likely to be a middleweight throwdown, Sharaputdin Magomedov takes on Marc-Andre Barriault.'Shara Bullet' is coming off the first loss of his career, being outpointed by Michael 'Venom' Page, but realistically, this is a much more suitable fight for him.Barriault is a solid brawler who's willing to swing with any opponent, but 'Power Bar' is also plodding, not that fast, and has had his chin cracked numerous times over the years.Basically, this feels like the promotion throwing 'Shara Bullet' a bone of sorts, giving him a stylistically good opponent to face off with to bounce back from his first loss. The pick is Magomedov via KO.#4. UFC Fight Night: The PrelimsPicks in boldUFC light-heavyweight bout: Nikita Krylov vs. Bogdan GuskovUFC strawweight bout: Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha RicciUFC welterweight bout: Muslim Salikhov vs. Carlos Leal MirandaUFC light-heavyweight bout: Ibo Aslan vs. Billy ElekanaUFC heavyweight bout: Martin Buday vs. Marcus BuchechaUFC featherweight bout: Mohammed Yahya vs. Steven NguyenUFC bantamweight bout: Davey Grant vs. Da'Mon BlackshearUFC flyweight bout: Asu Almabayev vs. Jose Ochoa