Robert Whittaker defeats Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Fight Night

If anybody ever doubted Robert Whittaker’s willingness to battle anybody at any time, he proved them fallacious after which some Saturday.

In what was arguably the riskiest battle of his profession, Whittaker (26-7) knocked out Ikram Aliskerov (15-2) simply 1 minute, 49 seconds into their middleweight fundamental occasion at UFC Struggle Evening. The 185-pound contest headlined the UFC’s first journey to Saudi Arabia, which is vying to problem Las Vegas because the perceived “Struggle Capital of the World.”

Whittaker was presupposed to face undefeated middleweight Khamzat Chimaev (13-0), however Chimaev was compelled to withdraw final week due to sickness. The UFC changed Chimaev with Aliskerov, a really gifted up-and-comer who had solely fought twice within the UFC. It turned an all threat, no reward state of affairs for Whittaker, however he accepted anyway.

“I informed all people, I’m the boogeyman,” Whittaker stated. “I am the perfect on this planet and essentially the most harmful matchup for anybody within the division. I will take a battle anyplace, anytime. I proved it tonight.”

Regardless of Whittaker’s historical past as a former champion within the UFC, betting odds closed practically even between him and Aliskerov. Aliskerov, 31, is from the identical area of Dagestan as retired light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and hadn’t misplaced since 2019. His solely loss going into Saturday was in opposition to Chimaev.

Whittaker surprised him a bit of over a minute into the battle with a counter proper hand. The shot put Aliskerov on skates, and Whittaker adopted with a jab that despatched him reeling again to the fence. Whittaker adopted him to the cage and threw an ideal proper uppercut that principally ended the battle. Referee Marc Goddard gave Aliskerov one ultimate likelihood to get well on his knees, however it was clear he was finished.

A loss would have been a significant setback for Whittaker. He has been practically unbeatable at middleweight; nevertheless, his three losses within the UFC division have come in opposition to present champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya, who’re scheduled to battle at UFC 305 in August in Perth, Australia. This victory not less than retains Whittaker within the title dialog for the foreseeable future.

Instantly following the win, Whittaker stated he can be prepared to take a comparatively fast turnaround and battle at UFC 305.