The UFC has certainly been in a state of flux over the past couple weeks- losing multiple scheduled bouts due to injury, including one half of this week’s main event in Khamzat Chimaev. The Chechen star reportedly suffered a devastating bout of food poisoning & was unable to continue his training camp, much to the fan’s dismay. Chimaev was originally scheduled to fight former middleweight champion- Robert Whittaker in what was thought to be a title-elimination bout for the 185 pound division. The UFC- while having reported struggles with finding a short-notice replacement, ultimately made the decision to give the fight to rising contender, Ikram Aliskerov. The prospect out of Dagestan has taken the middleweight division by storm, finishing his first two opponents viciously by way of first-round KO. Aliskerov has received praise from many other fighters, including the highly-touted Nurmagomedov family, specifically Khabib and Islam Makhachev- to name a few. However, his opponent in Whittaker undoubtedly has the edge in experience & has proven himself time and time again on the world’s biggest stage.
The prelims for UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia kick off at 11:00am CST on ESPN+ and feature a wide variety of athletes from all disciplines of MMA. From striking powerhouse, Magomed Gadzhiyasulov to high-level grapplers like Rinat Fakhretdinov, fans can expect to see some of the absolute best MMA in the world come Saturday night. One matchup on the prelims that you’ll want to keep your eye on is a light-heavyweight bout between UFC debutant, Magomed Gadzhiyasulov taking on Brendson Ribeiro. While both fighters posses extreme knockout power in their hands- they have yet to debut their ability since joining the company & are undoubtedly eager to do so in their next fight. This one is not likely to see the judges scorecards, or even a 2nd round for that matter and is a fight that is sure to produce fireworks regardless of who leaves with the victory.
The main card kicks off at 2:00pm CST & is packed with exciting matchups from start to finish. With high-flying athletes such as Johnny Walker & feared knockout artists like Sergei Pavlovich- fans can expect non-stop entertainment come Saturday. One fighter on the main card to keep an eye out for, no pun intended, is Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov. With one eye almost surely compromised and no longer functional, Shara Bullet has still sliced through competition at all levels of the sport. Emerging victorious in his UFC debut, Shara Magomedov showed a plethora of striking attacks, truly putting the rest of the 185 pound division on notice.
Lastly, we move to the coveted main event slot which features the always formidable, Robert Whittaker who takes on a feared prospect in Ikram Aliskerov. When the UFC’s middleweight division is brought up, it’s impossible to not mention the name Robert Whittaker. Whether you’re looking at championship belts or highlight reel finishes, ‘Bobby Knuckles’ is certainly a regular when it comes to putting on big performances inside the octagon. Coming off a win against Paulo Costa earlier this year, Whittaker is more than prepared to put it all on the line in hopes another crack at the title awaits him with a win over Aliskerov. The other half of our main event in Ikram Aliskerov has had quite the opposite path to this fight, coming into Saturday with a flawless record under the UFC banner. Aliskerov, while lacking in experience, makes up for it with his natural ability and well-versed skillset from years of competing in other disciplines such as Combat Sambo. However, taking on the likes of Robert Whittaker in only your third UFC fight is quite the tall order, even for someone as talented as Ikram. Regardless of which fighter emerges victorious, fans can expect an incredible fight in our main event- for as long as it lasts.
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