Khamzat Chimaev has done it again! The Chechen fighter once again managed to mess up Dana White’s plans by pulling out of the UFC Saudi Arabia main event. He was supposed to fight Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator fight, but Bobby Knuckles got himself a new opponent.
The man in question is Ikram Aliskerov, a Dagestani martial artist whose only professional loss happened to none other than Chimaev.
Before Betting on Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
Robert Whittaker is one of the greatest middleweights of his generation. He’s 25-7, with two of his losses happening in title fights against Adesanya. His most recent defeat was against Dricus du Plessis, who then went on to become the champ.
In his most recent fight, Whittaker beat Paulo Costa by unanimous decision, which earned him a place in the title eliminator fight. Unfortunately for him, Chimaev ruined everything, so it’s still unclear whether he’ll get to fight for the title in the future. One thing, however, is clear – his dream of becoming the champ again will burn down if he loses to Ikram Aliskerov.
That’s why he needs to take this fight seriously. Aliskerov is a tricky fighter with plenty of weapons in his arsenal. As you’d expect from a Dagestani fighter, he’s a hell of a wrestler, but he also has incredible striking. The evidence of this is that in each of the two UFC fights he’s fought so far, he won by KO/TKO.
Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov Offshore Odds & Pick
When Chimaev was still in the game for UFC Saudi Arabia, BetOnline was giving +195 on Whittaker. However, betting odds have since moved in his favor. Against Aliskerov, he’s seen as a -200 favorite.
We completely agree with the oddsmakers on this. Not only has Whittaker had a full camp, but he’s also superior to Aliskerov in practically every aspect of MMA.
Pick: Robert Whittaker (-140)
