UFC Saudia Arabia has lost one-half of its main event.
All the recent UFC turmoil has surrounded UFC 303 at the end of the month (Sat., June 29, 2024). Unfortunately, the promotion’s debut in Saudia Arabia has also hit a snag.
MMA Mania has confirmed with sources that Khamzat Chimaev is out of UFC Saudi Arabia’s main event against former UFC Middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker (25-7), next weekend (Sat., June 22, 2024). Stepping in for him will be the surging prospect, Ikram Aliskerov (15-1). As a result of the change, Aliskerov’s original opponent at UFC Vegas 93, Antonio Trocoli, will now face Gregory Rodrigues in the co-main event this weekend (Sat., June 15, 2024). Chimaev’s coach, Mukhammad Eskirkhanov, shared the following image of Chimaev in the hospital on his Instagram stories. UFC CEO, Dana White, has since confirmed the news, noting that Chimaev fell “violently ill.”
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Instagram: @mukhammad_eskirkhanov
Coincidentally, Alsikerov will fill in against Whittaker for the only fighter to have defeated him in his 16-fight career. Before they reached UFC, Aliskerov lost via a first round knockout against Chimaev in Brave Combat Federation. They’ve won seven and eight consecutively since, respectively.
The full UFC Saudi Arabia fight card can be seen below
- 185 lbs.: Robert Whittaker vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- 265 lbs.: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alexander Volkov
- 170 lbs.: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- 205 lbs.: Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
- 205 lbs.: Shara Magomedov vs. Joilton Lutterbach
- 135 lbs.: Farid Basharat vs. Montel Jackson
- 155 lbs.: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jared Gordon
- 135 lbs.: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov
- 170 lbs.: Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nicolas Dalby
- 205 lbs.: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
- 145 lbs.: Muhammad Naimov vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan
- 185 lbs.: Abu Azaitar vs. Denis Tiuliulin
- 135 lbs.: Xiao Long vs. Chang Ho Lee