Ikram Aliskerov recently suffered a loss at UFC Saudi Arabia at the hands of Robert Whittaker. Through this event, it was UFC’s first visit to the country. The event took place on June 22 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. Aliskerov stepped in to fight Whittaker at short notice as a replacement opponent. Initially, Khamzat Chimaev was set to fight “The Reaper,” but he was forced to withdraw due to a serious illness.
Both fighters were on a winning streak
The Russian middleweight fighter Aliskerov entered the fight with a professional record of 15-1 and a two-fight win streak in the UFC. He was coming off a TKO win over Warlley Alves at UFC 294. On the other hand, the Kiwi fighter Whittaker scored a decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 before entering the Saudi Arabia matchup.
At UFC on ABC last Saturday, Whittaker landed his first strong blow within two minutes, which turned out to be the decisive move for him. “The Reaper” connected another overhand right that stunned his opponent and left him with shaky legs. Robert then faked a shot to persuade the Russian to lift his guard before smashing him with a mighty uppercut that felled him. After a few more shots, the referee intervened and ended the contest.
Aliskerov issued a statement after the defeat
After this huge defeat, Aliskerov took to social media and issued a statement. He wrote, ”Alhamdulillah! No excuses! I’ll try to benefit from everything! And so everything is fine”
Whittaker’s victory has taken him one step closer to getting a shot at the Middleweight title. He is currently on a two fight winning streak and will probably continue to remain in or near the top contender position with Sean Strickland.
Chimaev also praised both fighters
Whittaker was very quick to finish the headliner match at UFC Saudi Arabia as he knocked out Aliskerov in the very first round of the match. Whittaker’s original opponent Khamzat Chimaev recently took to X and congratulated him for the stunning victory. In addition, he also wrote supportive words for Aliskerov.
“Congratulations @robwhittakermma we are not done! I wish you a speedy recovery @ikram_aliskerov keep your head up brother,” wrote Borz.
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