33-year-old, Robert Whittaker put on a show in Riyadh by knocking out the undefeated Russian prospect, Ikram Aliskerov in the very first round. Prying open the latter’s guard, ‘The Reaper’ got in an uppercut that dropped the Dagestani. Now, reflecting on this spectacular performance, UFC veteran Daniel Cormier believes that the Aussie should be the back-up for the UFC 305 main event.
DC did not hold any bars and explained Whittaker’s “win-win” situation. Mentioning that Bobby Knuckles lost to Israel Adesanya twice and a third fight between the two is hard to come by, the veteran claimed that this would be the best position for the former middleweight champion.
If DDP got hurt, Whittaker could step in to take that role and maybe try and avenge one of his losses. But if Izzy gets injured, that’s a title shot right there that Whittaker deserves. He’s lost to the South African once and would love to have the opportunity to avenge it.
“This might honestly be the best position for him especially when it comes to Dricus, he has only lost to Dricus once, Dricus is the champion, if Izzy gets hurt, Robert Whittaker is there as a backup then he would get that second fight against Dricus du Plessis much sooner than he would’ve expected to get that next fight against Dricus du Plessis. I think its a win-win for Rob and after tonight’s performance, I think it should happen.”
DC strongly believes that setting the 33-year-old as the backup is a no-brainer and a perfect situation for both the former champion and the company, especially given his performance on Saturday.
In fact, Whittaker’s performance captivated the community like no other with fighters and ex-champions lauding the Aussie for his spectacular stoppage finish.
Henry Cejudo, ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson laud Bobby Knuckles
It was going to be a long night for the former UFC MW titleholder, Robert Whittaker, at least on paper, against a tough gritty Dagestani. But ‘The Reaper’ really proved why he was worth his moniker, dispatching Ikram Aliskerov in under two minutes of round 1, earning a $50k bonus in the process.
The 33-year-old started the fight cautiously, measuring his opponent before he delivered the 1-2 that put Aliskerov on skates.
Seeing the latter wobbled, Whittaker did not pounce on him straight away instead, he was methodical, catching him with his signature 1-2 head kick combo before ending the fight with a vicious uppercut.
This performance enthralled the MMA community and former bantamweight champ, Henry Cejudo couldn’t contain his excitement.
BOBBY!!!! Whitaker put him on stilts! #UFCSaudiArabia
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) June 22, 2024
Not so long after, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson also praised the Aussie for his blistering performance while Rafael Dos Anjos deemed Whittaker as “one of the best to do it.”
WHAT. A. STUD. @robwhittakermma #UFCSaudiArabia
— Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) June 22, 2024
So, would you like to see Robert Whittaker have a go at the title at UFC 305?
