Robert Whittaker continued his momentum by winning the anticipated main event bout at UFC Saudi Arabia. The Aussie beat short-notice opponent Ikram Aliskerov via KO in the first round of the fight. Initially, Whittaker was meant to fight Khamzat Chimaev, but his bout with Aliskerov went well.
During the post-fight press conference, Robert Whittaker was questioned if not facing Khamzat Chimaev was a better option for him. While responding to the question, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ chuckled and made a sarcastic joke about many things that could have affected the outcome of the fight, and talking about it doesn’t make sense.
If I had wheels I’d be a bike… what if I would’ve scrambled eggs instead of waffles this morning, I don’t know. I understand Chimaev is a hard fight but I didn’t not say yes to fight him.
Robert Whittaker via UFC Saudi Arabia post-fight press conference
Going into the original fight, Khamzat Chimaev was a slight favorite, given the immense hype around him. After his unfortunate pullout, Aliskerov stepped up to take his place. Many considered Aliskerov an equally tough opponent for Whittaker, given his background in wrestling. Whittaker didn’t even know Aliskerov before the fight was made, but it seems like nothing really mattered to the former champion.
Robert Whittaker’s answer to this question was too good 😭
Reporter: “If not for Khamzat fight being cancelled probably things would play [out] differently… are you happy how things played out.”
Whittaker: “If I had wheels I’d be a bike… what if I would’ve scrambled eggs… pic.twitter.com/cahKtnKEPH
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 23, 2024
As Israel Adesanya had predicted, Whittaker managed to dominate Aliskerov from the very first exchange and finished the fight via a nasty uppercut. After the fight, Whittaker went on a rant during his octagon interview and labeled himself the boogeyman of the middleweight division. However, Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t think that’s the case.
Khamzat Chimaev warns Robert Whittaker after his knockout victory over Ikram Aliserov
Khamzat Chimaev had to pull out from the fight due to an unfortunate case of food poisoning. With retirement rumors spreading all over, Chimaev recently cleared the air around it. The ‘Borz’ is undefeated, and a win over Whittaker could have propelled him to a title shot. However, it seems like the fighter will have to wait a little longer for the opportunity.
Khamzat Chimaev sends message to Robert Whittaker after UFC Saudi Arabia win (via X)But that doesn’t mean the fighter forgot Whittaker and has warned the Aussie of their unfinished business. After the fight, Chimaev took to X in order to congratulate Whittaker and revealed that they would meet soon.
Congrats @robwhittakermma we are not done yet! @ikram_aliskerov I wish you a speedy recovery. Keep your head up, my brother.
Khamzat Chimaev via X
Поздравляю @robwhittakermma мы не закончили дело!
Желаю скорейшего восстановления @ikram_aliskerov выше голову брат мой ☝🏼🤝— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) June 22, 2024
The fighter also wished Ikram Aliserov a speedy recovery following his devastating knockout loss. Aliserov has already lost twice in his professional career, both times due to uppercuts. Aside from the most recent case, Chimaev was the last person to drop Aliserov at Brave CF. Nonetheless, Whittaker has staked his claim for the middleweight belt, and it will be intriguing to see how things play out in the future.
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