Former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman is said to have accepted a short-notice offer from the promotion to headline UFC Saudi Arabia this weekend against former champion, Robert Whittaker – in place of an ill, Khamzat Chimaev – according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Usman, a former undisputed welterweight titleholder and pound-for-pound number one, has been sidelined since October of last year in Abu Dhabi, taking on the above-mentioned Chimaev in a short-notice co-main event clash.
Suffering a controversial decision loss to the Chechen in his first middleweight walk, Kamaru Usman has been linked to a continued stint at 185lbs – and even was previously offered a challenge by Whittaker, who urged him to stay at the limit.
And requiring a change of opponent on just days notice ahead of the promotion’s first outing in Riyadh this weekend, the UFC have landed on the surging, Ikram Aliskerov to take on former middleweight champion, Whittaker – with Dana White claiming every other contender in the division refused to fight on the date.
Kamaru Usman backed to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia
However, according to Abdelaziz, his client, Usman had accepted a short-notice turnaround to take on Auckland-born favorite, Whittaker, ultimately to no avail.
“@USMAN84kg sad (said) yes,” Ali Abdelaziz replied to a user on his official X account.
@USMAN84kg sad yes
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) June 15, 2024
Himself claiming he had no idea whom Dana White’s Contender Series product, Aliskerov was before he booked the bout – Whittaker is tasked with handing the surging contender his second-ever loss in MMA – having himself suffered a knockout defeat to Chimaev earlier in his tenure.
Last featuring in the co-main event of UFC 298 in February, Whittaker landed an impressive decision victory over former middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa in Anaheim.
Would you like to see Robert Whittaker fight Kamaru Usman in the future?