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Israel Adesanya expects Robert Whittaker to ‘beat the brakes’ off Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia

Israel Adesanya expects Robert Whittaker to 'beat the brakes' off Ikram Aliskerov at UFC Saudi Arabia Israel Adesanya expects to see Robert Whittaker “beat the brakes” off Ikram Aliskerov. Stepping into the main event spotlight…

Israel Adesanya expects to see Robert Whittaker “beat the brakes” off Ikram Aliskerov.

Stepping into the main event spotlight on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, ‘The Reaper’ was expected to square off with undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev in a bout that had title eliminator written all over it. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after ‘Borz’ became “violently ill” a week ahead of fight night.

Khamzat Chimaev out of Robert Whittaker fight

Replacing Chimaev will be Russian standout Ikram Aliskerov who will be making his third walk to the Octagon after a couple of stellar first-round finishes against Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves.

If he can score a win against Whittaker in Riyadh, he’ll thrust himself from an unranked newcomer to a legitimate top-five contender.

‘The Last Stylebender’ doesn’t see that happening.

“This is a banger of a fight,” Adesanya said of Whittaker vs. Aliskerov on his YouTube channel. “Also, this guy [Aliskerov], who did he last beat? Warlley Alves. It’s a big step up in competition though against Rob. Rob is a former champion, still on the hunt, still dangerous. I’m picking Rob in this fight.

“I think Robert is going to beat the brakes off this guy from Round 2 onwards. I think Rob gets past Round 1, he starts to put it on this guy, he’s going to feel a different beast. But, who knows? We’ll see. We haven’t seen him against competition like this yet. I just know how good Rob is so, I’m going to go Rob probably [Round] 3 or 4 TKO.”

Robert Whittaker could secure a title fight with a win at UFC Saudi Arabia

Adesanya knows firsthand just how tough Robert Whittaker is, having thrown hands with the New Zealander on two separate occasions. The ‘Stylebender’ came out on top in both instances, but ‘The Reaper’ is convinced that he can get the job done given a third opportunity.

With a win over Aliskerov, Whittaker may get that chance—depending on how things play out when Adesanya returns to challenge reigning middleweight world champion Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 on August 17.

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Bo Nickal mocks Khamzat Chimaev amid UFC Saudi Arabia exit: ‘Just don’t get sick, that’s what I do’

Uber-prospect, Bo Nickal has again poked fun at unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev following his latest withdrawal from a…

Uber-prospect, Bo Nickal has again poked fun at unbeaten middleweight contender, Khamzat Chimaev following his latest withdrawal from a scheduled premiere headliner in the UFC – urging the “violently ill” Chechen to simply refrain from “getting sick”.

Nickal, who has featured thrice under the banner of the UFC since his move from the Contender Series back in 2022, improving his record in mixed martial arts to 6-0 as a professional.

Last time featuring against Cody Brundage in a main card opener on the monstrous UFC 300 card back in April, Nickal was forced to the second round for the first time in his promotional tenure, landing an eventual rear-naked choke submission win.

As for Chimaev, the current number ten ranked middleweight challenger was forced off this weekend’s UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia card – seeing a headliner with former champion, Robert Whittaker shelved amid a reported case of food poisoning.

And seeing his fifth scheduled main event fight fall to the wayside – following prior pairings with Nate Diaz – and three separate matchups with welterweight best, Leon Edwards failing to come to fruition, Chimaev’s future is admittedly unclear according to UFC boss, Dana White.

Bo Nickal mocks Khamzat Chimaev once more

Enjoying a back-and-forth rivalry with fellow highly-touted star, Chimaev since his move to the UFC amid links to a future fight, the above-mentioned, Nickal mocked the Chechnya finisher for withdrawing from his comeback.

Bo Nickal stokes fan outcry over main card fight at UFC 300 I like that it makes people mad — Mandatory Credit: Cooper Neil – Zuffa LLC

“That dude (Khamzat Chimaev) is losing is aura a bit,” Bo Nickal said on his YouTube channel. “He just needs to keep winning and stop doing this crap [withdrawing from fights]. … That’s what I do, don’t get sick.”

“I don’t think he’s overtraining, I think he’s over partying,” Bo Nickal explained. “I don’t know, probably – I mean what else would it be? I just heard rumors about him and (Darren) Till and stuff like, crazy stuff.

Would you like to see Bo Nickal fight Khamzat Chimaev in the future?

Khamzat Chimaev issues first statement since UFC Saudi Arabia withdrawal due to illness

Khamzat Chimaev issued his first statement since withdrawing from his UFC Saudi Arabia headliner against Robert Whittaker. On Saturday…

Khamzat Chimaev issued his first statement since withdrawing from his UFC Saudi Arabia headliner against Robert Whittaker.

On Saturday night, June 22, ‘Borz’ was scheduled to step inside the Octagon for a potential title eliminator with the former middleweight world champion in Riyadh. Sadly, that is no longer on the docket after Chimaev became “violently ill,” forcing him out of the contest.

Recently, Chimaev took to social media and offered his first public comment on the dramatic turn of events.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Khamzat Chimaev (@khamzat_chimaev)

“We always plan something but Allah has his own plans for us,” Chimaev wrote on Instagram.

Borz’ has not competed since a majority decision victory over former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi.

ikran Aliskerov steps in for khamzat chimaev

Stepping in his place at the Kingdom Arena will be Ikram Aliskerov, who will be making his third walk to the Octagon after a pair of highlight-reel finishes against Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves in 2023. Aliskerov enters the bout sitting on a seven-fight win streak and could thrust himself from outside of the rankings into the middleweight top five should he score the upset against Robert Whittaker.

Despite stepping in on two weeks’ notice, Aliskerov is only a +124 underdog, meaning a $100 bet on the Russian could bank you a payout of $124.

With a win over Khamzat Chimaev, ‘The Reaper’ likely would have earned him another shot at the 185-pound crown, once Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya settle their business in The Land Down Under. With Aliskerov being unranked, it’s unclear if Whittaker will still earn the opportunity.

Dana White unsure of Khamzat Chimaev’s fighting future: ‘Every time he gets close, he gets really sick’

Following his official withdrawal from a scheduled UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia headliner this weekend, the fighting future of…

Following his official withdrawal from a scheduled UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia headliner this weekend, the fighting future of Khamzat Chimaev has been called into question once again – with Dana White more than flustered about where the Chechen goes from here.

Chimaev, the current number ten ranked middleweight contender, has been sidelined since October of last year, improving to 13-0 with a controversial majority decision win over former welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman.

Michael Bisping issues warning to Khamzat Chimaev over UFC Saudi Arabia main event he always gasses — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

And slated to take main event honors in Riyadh this weekend, unbeaten contender, Chimaev was forced from a bout with former divisional champion, Robert Whittaker – after he was struck down with a case of food poisoning.

Replaced by former opponent, Ikram Aliskerov – who now takes on Auckland-born favorite, Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, Chimaev has been ruled from another scheduled return to the Octagon, seeing momentum halted once more.

Dana White unsure of Khamzat Chimaev’s future

Sharing his thoughts on Chimaev’s exit from the Riyadh card – White, who described the former as “violently ill” – claimed Chimaev seems to get so close to the finishing line before faltering.

“I saw this kid (Khamzat Chimaev)on ‘Fight Island’, he wanted to fight the next weekend,” Dana White told Jim Rome. “I let him fight the next weekend. He looked incredible. He’s been on this tear and lately, it’s been hard to get him into the Octagon.”

EXCLUSIVE: UFC President @danawhite confirms Israel Adesanya will fight Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 on August 17th in Perth. pic.twitter.com/mUkcGPGxaK

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) June 17, 2024

“Every time he gets close to fighting, he get’s really sick,” White continued. “I don’t know [how long it’s going to be before he fights again]. I don’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s over here in this country [United States], and we’ve had doctors here look at him or anything like that. He’s sort of out of touch, so it’s tough to deal with.”

Already offered a route back to active competition, Chimaev was once more called out by Paulo Costa – whom he has been scheduled to fight before, with the Brazilian claiming a matchup with him would bring back his “ferocity” of old.

When do you think we see Khamzat Chimaev return to the Octagon?

Paulo Costa chases elusive fight with Khamzat Chimaev in UFC return: ‘He will bring back the ferocity’

In the midst of a two-fight losing skid since the beginning of this year, recent UFC 302 co-headliner, Paulo…

In the midst of a two-fight losing skid since the beginning of this year, recent UFC 302 co-headliner, Paulo Costa has staked his claim for a rescheduled bout with Khamzat Chimaev, claiming a grudge fight with the Chechen contender would “bring back the ferocity” within him.

Costa, the current number eight ranked middleweight contender, co-headlined UFC 302 at the beginning of this month in New Jersey, suffering a split decision defeat against former divisional champion, Sean Strickland in Newark.

Paulo Costa vows to take heads off in return after Sean Strickland loss at UFC 302 I have the power — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

And earlier this year, Belo Horizonte striker, Costa suffered another unanimous judging loss to former middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker in the co-main event of UFC 298 in Anaheim.

Paulo Costa UFC 302 Joe Camporeale USA TODAY Sports

Himself forced from a UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia return this weekend against would-be common-foe, Whittaker, unbeaten Chechnya star, Chimaev was struck down with a bout of food poisoning, forcing him from the premiere event for the promotion in Riyadh.

Paulo Costa eyes Khamzat Chimaev grudge match next

Linked with a quickfire return off the back of his decision loss to the outspoken Strickland earlier this month in ‘The Garden State’, Costa has vowed to fire on all cylinders in his return – and likes a reworked matchup with the above-mentioned, Chimaev.

“I think he [Khamzat Chimaev[ is the perfect kind of fighter to bring back the Paulo of old,” Paulo Costa told MMA Fighting. “To bring back the [aggression], to bring back the ferocity. I’m [looking] for that.”

“You can see on my face, I can’t wait, bring back this becuase I need the redemption,” Paulo Costa explained. “And I need that fight, and Chimaev is the perfect guy. I think he looks a little crazy, so this ought to be a very fun fight.”

Initially scheduled to feature at UFC 294 back in October, Costa was forced from a fight with Chimaev after suffering from a bursitis infection in his elbow – which required multple surgical procedures to address.

Paulo Costa versus Khamzat Chimaev in the future: Who wins?

Khamzat Chimaev reportedly suffering from a severe case of food poisoning: ‘He wouldn’t be able to fight’

Khamzat Chimaev’s friend and fellow fighter Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov offered some insight into the illness that forced ‘Borz’ out of…

Khamzat Chimaev’s friend and fellow fighter Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov offered some insight into the illness that forced ‘Borz’ out of his scrap with Robert Whittaker in Saudi Arabia.

On June 22, Chimaev was scheduled for a high-stakes middleweight clash with the former champion, the winner likely setting themselves up for a shot at the 185-pound crown in late 2024/early 2025. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after Chimaev became “violently ill,” forcing him to bow out of the bout.

During a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, Abdulvakhabov revealed that the illness was food poisoning, though he stressed that he had not spoken to Chimaev directly and was informed by mutual friends of theirs.

“Food poisoning is always dangerous,” Abdulvakhabov said in a translated interview. “Accepting a fight with food poisoning, [Khamzat] knew his state, [knew] that he wouldn’t be able to fight. That’s why he called it off.”

Ikram Aliskerov steps in to replace Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia

Instead of fighting Chimaev inside Kingdom Arena, Robert Whittaker will now go toe-to-toe with Ikram Aliskerov who will make his third walk to the Octagon in Riyadh. Aliskerov is sitting on a seven-fight win streak dating back to 2019.

After securing a first-round submission victory over Mário Sousa on a 2022 episode of Dana White’s Contender Series, Aliskerov has earned a pair of quick finishes against Phil Hawes and Warlley Alves. His fight against ‘The Reaper’ will be his first appearance of 2024.

It’s unclear if Whittaker will still secure himself a title opportunity with a win at UFC Saudi Arabia. Much of that may depend on how things play out when Dricus Du Plessis defends the middleweight crown against former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya.

Their clash is rumored to headline UFC 305 on August 18 when the promotion heads back to Perth, Australia.