Numerous UFC fans were shocked when former UFC featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski, accepted the main event fight at UFC 294. Yet, recent reports reveal that the authorities have created yet another shocking matchup. However, this recent fixture also startled one of the competing fighters apart from the audience. The noted former UFC middleweight king, Robert Whittaker, recently appeared on an episode of the ‘MMArcade Podcast’ where he revealed his bewilderment at the recently announced fight between him and the famed, Khamzat Chimaev.
‘Bobby Knuckles’ put out an incredible performance in his UFC 298 fight against the famed Brazilian UFC middleweight, Paulo Costa. Following that, he would have surely expected a longer gap before his next fight. However, several reports revealed that the UFC authorities are trying to put up an event in Saudi Arabia as soon as possible. This is probably the reason why Dana White and Co. scheduled the Whittaker vs. Chimaev fight for June 23.
Despite acknowledging the news about the fight to be quite shocking, Whittaker did not have any negativity towards the matchup. ‘The Reaper’ even claimed he was “happy,” as he answered the ‘MMArcade Podcast’ host’s question, saying,
“Well, obviously it’s a bit of a shock because it comes out of nowhere. I would’ve assumed that the UFC will hold me in the ranks for the Australian card in August, which is kind of what I was preparing for. But I’m happy.”
A look at the UFC careers of both Whittaker and Chimaev indicates that the encounter is going to be an absolute barnburner. However, this fight is far from being the only exciting one of the night.
UFC Saudi Arabia: Announced fights apart from the Robert Whittaker vs Khamzat Chimaev scrap
The coveted Whittaker vs Chimaev scrap will be counted as the next middleweight title shot eliminator apart from the main event of the UFC Saudi Arabia card. Moreover, it is also quite apparent that the night will feature several other matchups.
Even though the UFC authorities haven’t announced the full card as of now, the fights that are already disclosed have immense potential to enthrall the audiences.
Like every time, it was the noted UFC head honcho, Dana White who announced the fights that will be featured on the night, with an ‘X’ update. Here’s a look at the fights that he announced apart from the coveted Whittaker vs. Chimaev main event.
- Sergey Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov (co-main event)
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Ihor Potiera
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!
UFC is heading to Saudi Arabia for the first time with a BAD ASS card, headlined by Whittaker vs Chimaev LIVE and FREE on ABC on June 22nd pic.twitter.com/2OZW2AEmLH
— danawhite (@danawhite) March 28, 2024
Most fans may know that UFC Fight Night events generally contain 5 fights in the main card. Hence, it is quite apparent that White has announced the main card fights of UFC Saudi Arabia. However, we believe the Prelims card for the night might also contain several other crowd-pleasers.
