Robert Whittaker bulldozes Ikram Aliskerov on UFC’s Saudi Arabia debut

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Robert Whittaker easily won his fight against Ikram Aliskerov on Saturday, dominating the UFC main event in Saudi Arabia with a knockout in the first round.

Whittaker, a former champion in the middleweight division, was supposed to fight up-and-coming contender Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday (22 June). However, Chimaev had to pull out of the fight because he was sick.

Aliskerov, who was not ranked, entered the scene to replace the main event fighter for the UFC's first event in Saudi Arabia. His only previous defeat as a professional was against Chimaev.

Whittaker, who is 33 years old, easily defeated the Russian who is 31 years old in under two minutes in Riyadh.

Whittaker from Australia landed a powerful punch on Aliskerov, then threw some quick punches and a barely touching head kick. Finally, he finished with an uppercut while Aliskerov was against the fence, securing his second consecutive victory.

The previous titleholder experienced a surprising defeat against Dricus Du Plessis in July, but has since recovered with wins against Paulo Costa and Aliskerov. In the meantime, Du Plessis went on to become the champion in January.

Beside Whittaker's defeat to Du Plessis, the Australian has only lost to Israel Adesanya in the past decade.

Adesanya defeated Whittaker by knockout to claim the middleweight championship in 2019, which he successfully defended in a tight rematch against the "Reaper" in 2022.

Adesanya went on to lose the championship, win it back, and then lose it once more. The fighter, who was born in Nigeria and raised in New Zealand, is set to face Du Plessis for the title in Australia this August.