UFC Saudi Arabia Results: Bonus Winners, Highlights And Scorecards

 

UFC Saudi Arabia Results: Bonus Winners, Highlights And Scorecards

There are levels to the MMA game, and Robert Whittaker sent that message to everyone in the UFC’s middleweight division on Saturday afternoon in Saudi Arabia.

You cannot simply drop a guy in on short notice and expect him to give me a fight.

Whittaker wasted no time destroying short-notice replacement Ikram Aliskerov at the main event of the UFC Saudi Arabia. Whittaker initially hurt Aliskerov with a straight right hand, but he ultimately finished the deal with an uppercut and two follow-up punches before referee Marc Goddard stepped in to call a halt to the fight.

Take a look at the finish:

Whittaker had everything to lose in this fight.

He was initially set to face Khamzat Chimaev, but the latter pulled out of the fight last week after getting food poisoning. Aliskerov, whose only previous defeat came against Chimaev before both men arrived in the UFC, was removed from a co-main event spot in last week’s UFC Vegas 93 card and upgraded to the spot against Whittaker.

It didn’t take long to see that the 31-year-old Russian was out of his league. Aliskerov, a promising and talented contender, may get a fight with another middleweight sitting just outside the top 15 in his next bout.

While he was not ready for the duty he was pressed into on Saturday, he still holds great potential for future success in the division. Whittaker, who earned one of the Performance of the Night Bonuses for his work, should hold securely as the No. 3 middleweight in the world.

He’d likely love to get a title shot in his next fight, and he’d also likely say yes to a fight with Sean Strickland, with the winner getting a battle against the winner of Israel Adesanya vs. Dricus Du Plessis.

The Adesanya-Du Plessis fight is scheduled for August 17 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia.

The Australia-born Whittaker volunteered to be a potential replacement fighter for either man should the main event need someone to step in. Whittaker has lost to Adesanya twice and Du Plessis once, so it makes sense to be behind Strickland in line.

Strickland beat Adesanya and lost his title to Du Plessis in a controversial split decision earlier this year. No matter what happens next for Whittaker, he has positioned himself for a substantial opportunity in his next fight.