What does ‘The Reaper’ do for a living? The answer was provided by Robert ‘The Reaper’ Whittaker as he welcomed Ikram Aliskerov to his first-ever main event. The two met at Saturday’s closing scrap for UFC on ABC 6. Then, Whittaker sent him packing less than halfway into the opening frame!
A big overhand right sent the Russian skidding. Ikram Aliskerov opened up well, but soon, he scurried backward toward the periphery. Whittaker missed with a range kick (head) before landing a vicious earth-shattering uppercut. Referee Marc Goddard saw only two more follow-up shots before calling it a night!
Robert Whittaker stayed true to his tune and went hunting. The former middleweight champion thus earned a first-round knockout victory, ending it at the 1:49 mark of Round 1. While his original title eliminator match with Khamzat Chimaev fell through, this one will surely hoist him up in the pecking order. A backup spot for a title fight seems to be in order.
Following that bout, Whittaker expressed interest in filling in at UFC 305 PPV on August 18. A middleweight title fight between rivals Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya will headline the card. Adesanya has beaten ‘The Reaper’ twice in title fights. So does ‘Stillknocks’ (UFC 290); with the dominant showing, he will earn a backup spot on home turf in Perth.
Fans react to Robert Whittaker’s thunderous uppercut KO of Ikram Aliskerov
The heavy-handed Ikram Aliskerov (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had some viable options for victory going into his first feature main event at UFC on ABC 6. However, he couldn’t quite hold his own against the pronounced 33-year-old elite middleweight.
Fans and peers laud Robert Whittaker’s all-time dominant showing as the ‘Reaper’ (Source: es.agfight,com/UFC.go.com)Robert Whittaker held serve of his contender status in the 185-pound mark with a full-swing dominance. The consensus expectation was that the Aussie would push through in the later rounds. However, he outshone all expectations early on, proving he is still the top dog. Now, he is back in the conversation again for the undisputed title strap he once held. Here are a few prominent reactions to his quick win:
Yeah, Robert Whittaker is that dude. Earned everyone’s respect by even taking this fight – then you go out and do THAT?!?! Amazing. #UFCSaudiArabia
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) June 22, 2024
BOBBY MADE HIM DANCE!!!
— Tommy Toe Hold (@TommyToeHold) June 22, 2024
What an uppercut. Welcome to the deep end of the pool
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 22, 2024
Bobby Knuckles is a fucking G!
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) June 22, 2024
The early first-round finish subsequently has the attention of the whole MMA clique. Loud-mouth gossipmonger Dillon Danis, who couldn’t control himself, replied with a “Bobby Knuckles is a fu*king G!” Consequently, this isn’t the only such reaction that pitched in on the UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov Main Event turnout. Henry Cejudo, Aljamain Sterling, and others commented the same.
The fighter readily gives in to his user-friendly moniker of “Bobby Knuckles,” which came to be when he readily took a fight with Kelvin Gastelum in 2021. Now, Whittaker had no obligations to accept this stylistically challenging fight when his title eliminator fell through. But he did and came out dashingly victorious. Yes, he is “that” guy, as fans and peers agree as much.
