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Robert Whittaker is treating Ikram Aliskerov just like he would Khamzat Chimaev, or any of his opponents: as the toughest possible test he could be facing.
A late opponent change sees the former middleweight champion now taking on Aliskerov in Saturday’s UFC Saudi Arabia main event. Whittaker was originally to fight the undefeated Chimaev, but an illness forced Chimaev out of the contest, which led to the matchmakers pulling Aliskerov out of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 93 co-main event and inserting him into the Whittaker fight.
Much was made of what it could mean for Whittaker to be the first to beat Chimaev and whether he’d earn another shot at UFC gold, but Whittaker is focused solely on the lesser known Aliskerov.
“My biggest concern was making sure that the fight happened, was going through with the fight,” Whittaker said at UFC Saudi Arabia media day. “My biggest concern now is beating Ikram.”
“He’s very much a dangerous opponent,” he continued. “You can look at it on paper that he might be more dangerous [than Chimaev] because of how well-rounded he is, but honestly, every fight brings a level of threat and a level of danger that has to be addressed.”
Chimaev and Aliskerov actually fought one another in 2019, a year before Chimaev burst onto the UFC scene. That Brave Combat Federation encounter was brief, but competitive, with Chimaev eventually prevailing via knockout.
Since that time, Chimaev’s star has continued to rise, and he’d likely have earned a title shot by now at either welterweight or middleweight were it not for health problems that have repeatedly caused the fighter to withdraw from bouts. Whittaker isn’t disappointed that he’s the latest to miss out on a fight with Chimaev, and he feels there’s a lot his team did in camp that will apply to his replacement foe.
“I’m not really worried about it too much, who I’m fighting, I’m going to be honest,” Whittaker said. “I’m here to fight. I was fit, I was ready, and this is how I provide for my family. Everyone knew I wanted to fight. I’m here, so I’m going to fight.”
“By this stage in the camp, all the work’s been done,” he continued. “I’m fit, I’m strong, I’m sharp, and all the skills that I worked for Chimaev, no skill is wasted, no skill is useless. A lot of it can be used in this fight, so all the work’s been done. I’m ready.”
A win over Chimaev would have firmly pushed Whittaker to the front of the middleweight contenders’ line, where he would await the winner of the UFC 305 headliner between champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. Both fighters hold wins over Whittaker, but the former champion has recently knocked off ranked opponents Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori.
Chimaev is out of the picture for the foreseeable future and there’s no guarantee a win over Aliskerov holds the same weight in the eyes of the fans nor the UFC. Regardless, Whittaker expects victory to bring the proper spoils, whether that’s a title shot or another chance to fight Chimaev.
“The only sure thing in the UFC is that winning opens doors,” Whittaker said. “My focus is solely on this Saturday night, getting my hand raised, and I’ll worry about the rest afterwards.”
“If [Chimaev is] around at the top of the game and I’m around at the top of the game, our paths will cross,” he continued. “I don’t have any particular opponents that I look to fight. It’s just they give me a name and I say yes and then we’re here.”
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