The timing was good for Ikram Aliskerov.
Aliskerov, originally scheduled to face Antonio Troccoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on Saturday, has instead been selected for a higher-profile bout against Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 6 in Saudi Arabia on June 22. The change was necessitated after Khamzat Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the event. UFC CEO Dana White announced the new headliner on Thursday, adding that Chimaev is “gravely ill.”
UFC on ABC 6 will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and will feature a heavyweight co-main event between Sergey Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov.
Aliskerov’s lone loss in 16 professional fights came at Brave Combat Federation 23 in April 2019, when he was defeated by Chimaev. Since then, he has won seven straight bouts, including two with the Las Vegas-based organization. Most recently, the 31-year-old Dagestan native defeated Wally Alves by first-round knockout at UFC 294. Aliskerov has won his last three bouts by first-round stoppage.
Whittaker, meanwhile, is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa at UFC 298 in February, allowing the former middleweight champion to bounce back from a second-round knockout loss to Dorricus du Plessis at UFC 290.
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— Dana White (@danawhite)
June 13, 2024
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