Robert Whittaker was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in a highly anticipated showdown. Instead, he will headline UFC Saudi Arabia in a few days with his new opponent, Ikram Aliskerov. Former champion Israel Adesanya chimed in on who he would pick as the winner of this main event in a recent YouTube video.
Israel Adesanya recently addressed Robert Whittaker’s new matchup on his YouTube channel. Adesanya commented on why he picked Whittaker to beat the rising Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia.
I think Robert is going to beat the brakes off this guy from Round 2 onwards. I think Rob gets past Round 1, he starts to put it on this guy, he’s going to feel a different beast.
Israel Adesanya on his YouTube channel
He mentioned that fans had not seen Whittaker perform against the nature of his Dagestani opponent. However, having fought him in the past, ‘The Last Stylebender’ predicted ‘The Reaper’ to win by TKO in the third or fourth round. Originally, Whittaker was supposed to headline the fight against the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.
However, the ‘Chechen’ pulled out due to illness. This was where Aliskerov stepped in. Adesanya pointed out how big of a step up it was for the Dagestani contender. Whittaker ranks #3 in the middleweight division. Securing a win in this fight could solidify a position for Aliskerov in the middleweight rankings.
Ikram Aliskerov is worried about fighting Robert Whittaker
A short-notice fight is a tricky proposition for any MMA fighter. Especially against a former champion like Whittaker. It is the same with Dagestani contender Ikram Aliskerov who stepped up to headline UFC Saudi Arabia just days before the event.
Robert Whittaker didn’t know who Ikram Aliskerov was (via Imago/ MMA Fighting)Ikram Aliskerov recently did an interview with ESPN MMA. In that interview, he talked about why he was a little worried about facing ‘The Reaper’.
I agreed as this fight would bring me closer to the title. To be honest, I’m a little worried. But that’s just because this news just came in. I’ll overcome it all.
Ikram Aliskerov on ESPN MMA
The Dagestani is not completely off the couch. He was supposed to face Antonio Trocoli for a showdown at UFC on ESPN 58 before he was called for the main event. It will be interesting to see how Aliskerov performs in this short-notice showdown against the former middleweight champion at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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