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UFC News: Robert Whittaker Floors Ikram Aliskerov in Saudi Arabia Main Event
The first UFC Fight Night card in Saudi Arabia closed out with a violent first-round finish when Robert Whittaker defeated short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov.
UFC Fight Night: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov Live Results & Highlights
"The Reaper" Returns to Title Contention
The main event of UFC Saudi Arabia was originally supposed to see Whittaker square off with the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev, but when Chimaev was forced to withdraw due to health issues Ikram Aliskerov quickly stepped up after he was previously scheduled to compete last weekend in Las Vegas.
Aliskerov's only career loss heading into UFC Saudi Arabia came against Chimaev in 2019, and after that setback the 31-year-old put together a seven-fight win streak that included a pair of first-round finishes in the UFC.
UFC News: Heavyweights Nearly Come to Blows After Fight Night Bout in Saudi Arabia
The odds were surprisingly close when the cage door closed for the UFC Saudi Arabia main event, but Whittaker reminded everyone that he's still a championship-caliber fighter when he floored Aliskerov with a perfectly-placed uppercut in the opening round.
BRUTAL UPPERCUT FROM WHITTAKER 😳 #UFCSAUDIARABIA pic.twitter.com/CVzYC7Diq8
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) June 22, 2024
The former middleweight champion indicated after his huge win that he'd be happy to serve as the backup for the upcoming title fight between his former foes Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya, which will headline UFC 305 in Perth, Australia on August 17.
Noticeably stacked with big names compared to some UFC Fight Night events, UFC Saudi Arabia also saw Alexander Volkov collect his fourth win in a row when he defeated Sergei Pavlovich and included a pair of violent knockouts from Volkan Oezdemir and Shara Magomedov as part of the night's main card.
UFC News: Unbeaten Shara 'Bullet' Magomedov Scores Brutal KO in Saudi Arabia
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DREW BEAUPRE
Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.