UFC Saudi Arabia’s main eventer, Ikram Aliskerov, is just two fights old in the promotion. His opponent, Robert Whittaker is a former middleweight champion in the company. But Aliskerov seems to have been offended by the Aussie claiming he didn’t know Khamzat Chimaev’s replacement before.
Aliskerov has refused Whittaker’s assertion, claiming that the Aussie had surely witnessed him “a million times”.
Aliskerov was nowhere in the picture to headline the UFC Saudi Arabia but Khamzat Chimaev’s immune system could now prove to be a pivotal moment in his career.
For the purpose of trivia only, Aliskerov had also fought Chimaev in 2019 and suffered a loss while both of them were signed into ‘Brave Combat Federation’.
But this 2019 fight is the reason why Aliskerov believes Whittaker had seen him about“a million times” to prepare for Chimaev.
“I think he [Whittaker] was lying [about not knowing Aliskerov]. I’m sure he rewatched my fight with Khamzat a million times because he was preparing for him.”
To be fair to Whittaker, Chimaev has had tougher fights in his career, so it might be a real possibility that he was rather watching how Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns had almost turned the tides on the undefeated Chechen.
Well, Aliskerov may have credited his ‘Brave CF’ fight against Chimaev for getting him recognized by his upcoming UFC Saudi Arabia rival. But it also may have helped him get the offer from Dana White.
Why Dana White Chose Ikram Aliskerov to replace Khamzat Chimaev
UFC authorities get into really difficult positions when their fighters pull out of events at the 11th hour. Dana White and Co. were in a similar situation after learning about ‘Borz’s’ illness that ruled him out of the UFC Saudi Arabia main event.
This is when Dana White is said to have caught a glimpse of the Aliskerov vs. Chimaev fight at ‘Brave CF’, which could have prompted him to pick the Russian fighter as a replacement.
Aliskerov also revealed how the UFC boss provided him with some extra motivation while negotiating the fight with him. This fight is important for both competitors as a win for Whittaker sets him on the path to a title fight again. But if Aliskerov pulls off an upset on 23 June, his life changes forever.
