“De Ridder is an awkward guy. He adheres to the same mentality, the same school of thought, according to which you just go forward and hit people, right? I understand that in this fight I should have the advantage, and I think this is a great harbinger of what I want to achieve in the future. His grappling style is also quite cool. He is in some way one of those guys who actually turns a lot of what he does into a weapon, constantly pressuring.
But I have a desire to make a statement in the next fight. I really want, you know, to send a message and pave my way to the title, so right now I’m focused on that,” Whittaker is quoted by MMA News.