If anybody ever doubted Robert Whittaker’s willingness to combat anybody at any time, he proved them incorrect after which some Saturday.
In what was arguably the riskiest combat of his profession, Whittaker (26-7) knocked out Ikram Aliskerov (15-2) simply 1 minute, 49 seconds into their middleweight fundamental occasion at UFC Combat Night time. The 185-pound contest headlined the UFC’s first journey to Saudi Arabia, which is vying to problem Las Vegas because the perceived “Combat Capital of the World.”
Whittaker was imagined to face undefeated middleweight Khamzat Chimaev (13-0), however Chimaev was pressured to withdraw final week due to sickness. The UFC changed Chimaev with Aliskerov, a really proficient up-and-comer who had solely fought twice within the UFC. It grew to become an all threat, no reward scenario for Whittaker, however he accepted anyway.
“I advised all people, I’m the boogeyman,” Whittaker stated. “I am the perfect on this planet and probably the most harmful matchup for anybody within the division. I am going to take a combat anyplace, anytime. I proved it tonight.”
Regardless of Whittaker’s historical past as a former champion within the UFC, betting odds closed almost even between him and Aliskerov. Aliskerov, 31, is from the identical area of Dagestan as retired light-weight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and hadn’t misplaced since 2019. His solely loss going into Saturday was towards Chimaev.
Whittaker shocked him slightly over a minute into the combat with a counter proper hand. The shot put Aliskerov on skates, and Whittaker adopted with a jab that despatched him reeling again to the fence. Whittaker adopted him to the cage and threw an ideal proper uppercut that principally ended the combat. Referee Marc Goddard gave Aliskerov one closing probability to get better on his knees, nevertheless it was clear he was performed.
A loss would have been a significant setback for Whittaker. He has been almost unbeatable at middleweight; nevertheless, his three losses within the UFC division have come towards present champion Dricus Du Plessis and former champion Israel Adesanya, who’re scheduled to combat at UFC 305 in August in Perth, Australia. This victory at the least retains Whittaker within the title dialog for the foreseeable future.
Instantly following the win, Whittaker stated he can be prepared to take a comparatively fast turnaround and combat at UFC 305.