Ikram Aliskerov believes that Robert Whittaker was already well aware of who he was before the bout was even scheduled.
Whittaker was originally scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC on ABC 6 on June 22 in Saudi Arabia. Chimaev withdrew from the bout due to a serious illness, and Aliskerov stepped up to fill in for “Bolz” at short notice. Cutting weight was not an issue for Aliskerov, and he was originally scheduled to face Brazilian newcomer Antonio Trocoli at UFC on ESPN 58 on June 15.
Whittaker was grateful that Aliskerov accepted the offer despite the short notice, but “Bobby Knuckles” claimed he had never heard of the Dagestan standout before the bout was announced. Aliskerov, a seasoned veteran on the regional stage, believes Whittaker is lying and has watched his tape multiple times even before the bout was scheduled. Aliskerov’s only professional loss came in 2019 when he was knocked out in first round by Chimaev under the Brave Combat Federation banner. Aliskerov believes Whittaker watched that bout multiple times while preparing for the Chimaev bout.
“I think he lied,” Aliskerov told Red Corner MMA. “I’m sure he rewatched the Khamzat fight a million times because he was preparing for Khamzat.”
Aliskerov predicted Chimaev to beat Whittaker before the fight was canceled and is hopeful his former rival will return to fighting form soon.
“Of course, Hamzat. We were all worried about Hamzat when we heard the news,” Aliskerov said. “I hope he gets better soon and gets back to work and makes us all happy. Hamzat was definitely a favorite to win.”
Aliskerov trains at the KHK MMA team under the tutelage of head coach Eldar Eldarov and several others who were mentored by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Aliskerov, who is also from Dagestan, naturally shares a bond with Nurmagomedov. Aliskerov revealed that he spoke with Nurmagomedov after accepting the bout, and the UFC Hall of Famer praised his choice.
“Yes, I called Khabib after I accepted the fight,” Aliskerov said. “He said, ‘I can’t miss this opportunity. I have to fly here and sweat for a couple of days. And it’s 10 hours away from here in Las Vegas, so I’ll need to adjust.'”
Aliskerov also acknowledged that he had received advice from Nurmagomedov regarding the fight, but declined to reveal any further information.
“We discussed it, but I’m not going to go into that,” Aliskeroff said.[Khabib said] “He’s a striker so keep an eye on him. Keep your eye on him and everything will be fine.”
